Collaborative: A New Chapter
by Igrayne01
Summary: In the times of the Old Republic, the fate of the galaxy rests within the hands of Admiral Carth Onasi, Atton Rand, Bao Dur, Mical, and four unlikely women. Countless lives hang in the balance as a new Sith lord rises to power. A collab by members of CC.
1. Morgana's Death and the Bombing of Telos

**Disclaimer: This story is a collaborative effort by the members of Carth Community. We do not own anything in the Star Wars universe other than our characters. Rated 'M' for some sexual content and language.**

Admiral Carth Onasi held the trembling woman in his arms as she lay dying. The alarms had sounded as soon as the bombing started, and most of the planet's occupants were running frantically to transports to take them offworld. Some of the last transports had already taken off hours ago, but Carth had doggedly stayed at his wife's side for the moment when he knew she would breathe her last.

Her eyes were rimmed with tears when she saw the worried look in Carth's usually warm brown eyes. He felt pressure from her hand as she managed a squeeze to assure him that everything would be all right.

"Get to your ship," Morgana said quietly, her voice and tone far too weak.

"I'm not leaving without you," Carth told her.

She said something that sounded like "too late for me," but Carth couldn't be certain with the cacophony of sound battering his ears. Beside him, another Telosian hovel exploded in a barrage of fire and fury. He hugged Morgana closer to protect her from the flying shrapnel. Overhead, Saul Karath's ship was closing in on the planet. He'd need to make the next transport offworld if he wanted to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with his old mentor.

Morgana made a sound close to a sigh, and was gone. He held her lifeless body in his arms, tugging the dead weight closer as he lifted her up and walked with her body to one of the few standing structures on the planetside. He laid her down and kissed her one last time, before another nearby explosion alerted him to the presence of the nearby Sith deploying.

Carth scrambled to his feet, tugging at the cords of his uniform to allow for maximum flexibility. He could see armored Sith guards patrolling a burning sector before running over a short hill where there was one last waiting transport. He rummaged through his pocket for a few cred chits for safe passage to a new life.

"Here," he said, handing the money to the operator. As soon as the last few survivors were onboard, the shuttle took off and was buffeted by a number of blaster bolts from the nearby Sith freighter looming overhead. The ship's pilot narrowly avoided being hit when he sent the ship into a duck-and-roll maneuver that made Carth's stomach lurch.

But Carth wasn't concentrated on the imminent danger. His mind was a world away, thinking of Morgana...

---------------

For days afterward, thousands still lay, dying or wounded, on Telos's surface while the Sith combed the planet for survivors. A majority of the survivors had been recovered within the first hour of the bombings by an elite squad of medics stationed on nearby Onderon.

Igrayne opened the door to find Carina standing there before her, a flashy red speeder hovering behind her. Carina had both hands firmly planted on her hips and had adopted a rather imposing stance. Igrayne smiled when she saw her friend; they had both volunteered in the housing and tending of Telos's wounded--tricky business that it was. If the Sith had caught wind of their involvement, they probably would have been tortured or executed. But that was a risk Igrayne and Carina were willing to take for the sake of the crumbling Republic.

"You ready to go?" Carina asked.

Igrayne shut and palmed the lock to her door, jumping into the waiting speeder.

"Yeah. I packed us some lunch just in case it gets busy down there."

"No kidding. They keep bringing in more of them. Force knows where they're finding all these people!" Carina complained.

"At least we're helping a bit," Igrayne said, feeling the wind pick up as Carina sped away over the desert landscape, headed for the medical facility.

"Yeah, but I've been worried lately. There's an increased Sith presence in the town. What if they suspect..."

"They won't," Igrayne assured her.

Carina parked the speeder and they walked in companionable silence to the facility, walking among scores and scores of the wounded—those barely clinging on to life—before they stopped at their station to pick up some medicine.

Igrayne checked the log of who she would be ministering to today and walked over to bed 1-B. There was a badly-bruised woman laying there who opened her eyes as Igrayne drew near. She took a seat beside her and gave her some lunch before forcing down a healthy dose of liquid bacta.

"That stuff stinks," the woman said.

"Yeah, get used to it. There's plenty more where it came from," Igrayne replied.

The woman groaned but said nothing further. Igrayne looked down at her and smiled.

"You're safe here now. There's no need to worry."

The woman's face contorted in a mixture of grief and resentment at the words. Her eyes welled with tears.

"He's gone."

"I'm sorry?" Igrayne echoed. "Who are you..."

"Destrik," the woman said forlornly. "We were engaged to be married. He was a soldier in the Republic fleet."

Igrayne sat down at the foot of her bed, careful not to disturb her.

"Was he serving under Admiral Onasi's division?"

The woman nodded.

"I'm sorry," Igrayne said. Nobody had seen or heard from the Admiral for days, so he, like the rest of his fleet, was presumed dead. Destrik must have been long gone by now.

"Tell me a little about him," Igrayne prodded, "Maybe I can get some information from the girls, if he was brought in."

The woman rolled her shoulders in a shrug.

"He has black hair and hazel eyes. Medium complexion."

"I'll see what I can do," Igrayne promised.

The woman explained nothing further, only bit her lip and looked away. Igrayne heard herself being called and excused herself for a moment, walking over to where Evy was tending the medical station.

"I need you to bring these to 1-G," she said, handing her a bunch of vials. Igrayne turned them over in her palms, looking at the insidious green mixture with uncertainty.

"What the..."

"Nutrients," Evy explained, "For the ones they've lost. A lot of these people are sick, and they need double doses."

Igrayne took the vials and walked away to do her chore, but before she could reach bed 1-G, she stopped by to see if the woman was okay.

"Listen... what'd you say your name was again?" she asked the young woman, who looked up at her with sad eyes.

"Rani Taraster."

"Rani," Igrayne said. "I'm Igrayne. If you need anything around here, just holler. I'll make sure you're looked after."

"Thank you," Rani said without enthusiasm.

Igrayne bustled off to bed 1-G and sat down to take care of her next patient. The day had just begun, but the wall chrono told her that there was still much work to be done before she could leave for home.

But her daily routine was interrupted by the sudden, unexpected arrival of someone she never expected to see again...

Admiral Carth Onasi.

------------------------

Carina tended to some more patients. They looked terrible, to put it nicely. The Sith had bombed the bejesus out of the planet without so much as a warning. It made her sick seeing all the helpless victims. She covered her fear and grief by making sarcastic statements constantly... Or by merely joking around.

She had to do something to lighten the mood around the poor victims.

"Do you want some water?" she offered a small girl, sitting alone by herself in a corner.

She said nothing and merely turned away. Carina repressed a sigh. This girl hadn't eaten or slept in several days, and Carina was beginning to worry.

"Please eat something...or get some sleep." The girl avoided her gaze. "Please?"

She remained silent, and Carina sat beside her. "Is there anything I can do to help make you more comfortable?"

The girl said nothing, and Carina sighed and began to move when the girl finally spoke quietly.

"Mom and Dad," she whispered in fear.

"Oh..." Carina began, finally understanding what happened. "I am so sorry."

Just then, emergency alarms began going off and the small girl began weeping furiously. Carina wrapped a blanket tight around her and hurried to find the rest of the medical personnel.

She caught a glimpse outside the window of an approaching cloud of dust and debris...

_The Sith are coming back,_ she thought in fear.

--------------------

Igrayne barely had time to greet Admiral Onasi as fear took hold of the medical facility's occupants. Evy was barking orders for the arrival of a transport to airlift the patients out, but there simply wasn't enough time and space for everybody.

Igrayne ran over to Rani's side, holding her hand.

"What's going on?" Rani wondered sleepily, roused from unconsciousness by the screams of the people around her.

"Nothing. It's going to be all right," Igrayne said. Then, looking over her shoulder, "Carina! What's the situation look like?"

"Pretty grim," Carina said, peering out the window at the approaching cloud of dust. "We need to get these people out of here!"

Suddenly, Igrayne felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder and spun around to see the warm brown eyes of Carth Onasi.

"Admiral..."

"No time for formalities, ensign," he said, "Get these people to safety."

"I can't move her," Igrayne said, pointing to Rani. "I don't want to leave her!"

Carth pondered what she said a few moments before replying,

"I'll carry her. Go, round up as many people as you can find!"

The Admiral scooped Rani up into his arms as though she weighed little more than a feather, then walked with her toward the exit, through which nurses and frightened patients were busily scurrying. Igrayne felt sick as she heard the tortured screams of those left behind, the ones still lying in their beds...

----------------------

Rani winced in pain as he effortlessly lifted her off the bed. Her body ached deeply as if she had been broken from the inside. The pain momentarily cleared her mind, and she gazed up at the gentle man who was holding her. Admiral Carth Onasi's face was just inches from hers, an unreadable expression on his face. As recognition dawned on her, a stab of guilt shot through her.

_If Admiral Onasi survived, Destrik could have, too. If only he hadn't come after me, he would have lived,_ Rani thought, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

The recent memory came to her unwanted and unbidden.

She had been brushing her long, dark hair while gazing dreamily out the open window, seeing nothing except Destrik's handsome face. A deep voice drifted through the window, saying, "Rani, Rani!" She looked out and saw Destrik sprinting toward her complex. He looked strangely panicked.

She excitedly jumped up and ran to the front door of her apartment to greet him. Before she made it there, there was a huge explosion. The floor rocked under her, and debris rained down all around. Somehow, she had managed to stay on her feet, and as soon as she could, she rushed to find her love. It seemed like hours, although it was only a few minutes later that she found him. He lay with half his body buried in debris, his head turned away from her. Her heart in her throat, she flew to his side, trying in vain to push the heavy rocks off of him. She screamed his name over and over again, but he never answered her, never moved. Another explosion erupted around her right before she blacked out.

By the time Rani's mind returned to the present, Carth had brought her to the transport and was setting her down. He looked at her face and noticed the tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I'll be fine," she answered, her voice strained, "really, go help the others."

He paused noticing the sadness in her eyes that mirrored his own.

"I'll be back, I promise."

After Carth left, Rani slipped in and out of consciousness. The transport was filling up with people, and Carth finally returned with Igrayne, the kind nurse that had looked after her in the critical first few hours.

Carth and Igrayne exchanged words before he bounded out of the transport again. Later, he returned with a young woman with blazing eyes. Rani noticed the inactivated lightsaber in the new arrival's hand. Rani wondered if this fiery young woman was a Jedi.

Carth looked tired as he took the seat next to Rani.

_Did Carth recognize her?_ Rani questioned herself. She doubted it. She had only seen him once, and even then, it was from a distance. She couldn't help but stare at him. Something about him was so comforting. He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his reddish-brown hair before looking at the young women beside him. As his eyes met hers, his breath caught in his throat…

----------------

Carina was torn between leaving the helpless victims and actually fighting and making a stand. She chose the latter. If she wasn't gonna stick up for these people, who would? She watched as her transport continued to remain behind, waiting for her.

The Sith were already breaking down certain doors, and she grabbed her old lightsaber, praying she could still wield and use it. She ignited it and the yellow blade sprang to life, giving her a sense of some security.

A lot of the patients were left in their beds, unable to move out of them or escape. She heard Igrayne's faint yelling behind her and didn't have time enough to yell back at her before the Sith broke into the room.

She sliced through some troopers before her arm was grabbed violently by an older man—the one she recognized as Carth—and hurried with him to the last transport. Igrayne glared at her for being an idiot and staying behind like she'd done.

"Hey, at least I took out some of those son of a—" Carina began.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a hero." Igrayne rolled her eyes and Carina glared at her.

Then they both noticed the Admiral sitting with Rani. Carina raised an eyebrow curiously. Igrayne just shook her head.

"Do I want to know?"

"Don't ask. Not like I could give you an answer anyway," Igrayne answered.

Carina shrugged. "Hey, where're we headed to now?"

"I have a friend who'll take us in on Iridonia," Igrayne said, getting a distant look in her eyes.

"It's too far...we won't make it in time before we run out of fuel," Carina pointed out.

"We'll make it," Igrayne said simply, fumbling with a small holophone.

Carina yawned. "If you say so. Hey, doesn't that Zabrak live there?"

Igrayne nodded simply and Carina decided not to press. It would be several long hours before they reached Iridonia, and she might as well get some sleep...

-------------------

When Carina awoke, Igrayne was giving the coordinates to Evy, who sat in the co-pilot's seat with Admiral Onasi. He had taken over flight duties to give the pilot a chance to catch a quick nap before landing.

The Admiral was arguing for clearance over the comm link with a Zabrak, who seemed determined to do everything within his power not to let them land. Igrayne ran a hand through her mussed hair and rose to walk over toward the Admiral.

"Any luck?"

"None such," Carth replied, tapping his finger on the comm link.

"Let me have a try," Igrayne asked as Carth handed her the link. Igrayne pressed the button to link signals with the operator down below.

"This is sector 1148 you are trying to enter. What is your access code?"

"1-2-B requesting permission to land," Igrayne said hollowly, her throat suddenly dry. She had hoped the arrangements she'd made were all in place. "I've spoken with Kevan."

The name-dropping trick worked, and the operator let them unload their human cargo in one of the unoccupied docking bays. As soon as the transport landed, Igrayne and Carina bounded outside, grateful to stretch their legs after the long flight. Evy walked outside with them too, giving them a firm reminder that some of their passengers were in dire condition and needed immediate medical attention.

Igrayne's attention was momentarily distracted. A small troop of Zabraks was walking toward them to greet them on the landing platform. One of the Zabraks, a young tech in coveralls with a hydrospanner casually tucked into his apron, was watching her. She noted how dirty and oily he looked—not that she had been expecting him to clean up in preparation for their arrival, of course.

"It's good to see you again, Igrayne," the head Zabrak said, an alien nearly twice the girth of the young tech. Igrayne wasted no time with pleasantries.

"These people need medical attention, Kevan," she told him, motioning toward the transport where a few patients were waiting on stretchers.

"Bring them to the medlab," the Zabrak named Kevan said suddenly, doling out orders for his men to go and fetch the wounded. Igrayne watched as the transport was emptied, one by one, of its passengers.

The young tech, however, still stood there mutely beside her. It had been years since they had last seen each other, and she was firmly reminded of why that was. The last time they met, there had been so many things unspoken between them. Now that the years had passed, she half expected any such feelings she ever had for him to simply dissipate with her youth. But that hadn't happened. Standing in his presence made her giddy and light-headed. She had hardly noticed him when they first met. He had been so easy to overlook.

They hadn't even spoken once—only a few stolen glances here and there.

"I can't thank you enough," Igrayne said softly.

"In these troubled times, it's best we all stay clear of the Sith," the Zabrak said with a tinge of irritation in his voice. He obviously felt very strongly about the precarious situation between the Republic and the Sith, and he, like other Zabraks before him, backed up those opinions in the form of increased troops for the Republic. Igrayne shook his hand and began walking with the others to their accommodations for the night. But she didn't fully feel she could sleep easy on Iridonia. The Sith threat was never far away...

And she couldn't shake the feeling that the young tech was still watching her, even as she walked away with her friends.

"Looks like you picked up a small puppy-dog," Carina whispered jokingly to Igrayne, who glared and hit her softly. "Hey, you know it's true!"

Igrayne rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore the weight of his stare. He'd never make a move or anything. Besides, they were just acquaintances. That was all. She'd served with him in the war and he'd been a great asset to the Republic. He still was.

"Carth, help me with this little girl, will you?" Carina shouted to the Admiral. He hurried over to see the young child trembling with fear. "I don't know what to do with her. She's scared, Carth."

Carth pondered his answer for a moment before leaning down to her. "I'm afraid too, to be honest. Everything that's happened is terrifying to me. I lost the one I loved...which I'm sure you can understand."

The little girl seemed to open up to Carth. "B-but...you're a strong soldier like my Daddy. You can't be scared. You can't cry."

Carth smiled faintly. "You'd be surprised. Here, come with me. You want to see a big droid?"

The girl smiled for the first time and went with Carth. Carina smiled, relieved that the little girl was finally getting better. She had a soft spot for the young child.

Rani, who'd been helping Evy, witnessed the scene between Carth and the girl, and she smiled. He was so much like Destrik. And yet, he had a different...aura, as it were. She watched him walk away and smiled even larger inwardly.

Who would have guessed that after such an ordeal Rani would be finding herself smiling? Rani silently counted her blessings. She was alive, maybe badly bruised, but nothing life-threatening. And she was with Carth, who had for some reason taken it upon himself to see to her safety.

As Carth walked away with the adorable young girl, Rani turned her attention to Igrayne. She felt immensely grateful to the pretty nurse for essentially saving her life. Strangely, Igrayne seemed to be avoiding something, or someone. Rani scanned the room until her eyes fell upon a young Zabrak who was kept looking up from his work to study Igrayne from across the room. Rani knew the tech's expression well and wondered what past existed between him and Igrayne.

A low rumbling interrupted Rani's observations. She looked to Evy, who smiled calmly and said, "Not to worry dear, it is just a ship coming in."

A few minutes later, several young men entered the room. One in particular stood out, his blonde hair glinting in the dim light.

"Who're they?" Rani asked curiously.

Igrayne, barely looking up from her task of checking off the patients' names on a list of survivors, answered, "They're the extra medical help. I sent word for the Republic to send its best medical team to Iridonia at once."

"Good call," Rani added, looking over the new men who'd just arrived.

Igrayne shrugged. "It was instinct. Hey, have you seen Carina? She's gonna want to talk to the new guys. She hates it when people come in and start messing with her 'system.'"

Rani chuckled and Igrayne laughed slightly, though one could tell her heart wasn't in it. "What system?"

"My thoughts exactly. But who knows with Carina...she manages to keep everything organized and in order," Igrayne said, and Rani nodded in agreement. Even though she hadn't known anyone very long, she seemed as if she'd known them forever.

"Want me to go get her?" Rani offered.

"Oh yes...please. I'm a bit busy," Igrayne said gratefully.

"You got it," Rani said, hurrying off.

Carina stood in the midst of one of the makeshift medical rooms. There were just too many wounded to have them all put up in the proper medical facilities. She hadn't rested since they had arrived on Iridonia, but she took her duties very seriously. She was in her element helping those too weak to protect themselves. _Some things never change,_ she thought to herself before frowning as she quietly counted the patient to caregiver ratio.

"Too many hurt, and not enough to take care of them," she whispered sadly and wondered when that Republic med team would arrive.

As if in answer, Rani bustled into the room, her eyes finally alighting on Carina. Rani smiled and headed toward her. Carina looked at the young woman. She was already doing much better, and it was hard to tell just how injured Rani had been if one ignored the angry purple bruises that decorated her body.

"I've been looking for you," Rani said.

"Sorry, it has been crazy around here," Carina answered while gesturing toward the many patients crammed in the room.

"I have good news." Rani looked almost happy. "The Republic medical team has arrived."

Carina breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Force! It is about time they came."

Both women headed toward the docking bay, chatting quietly as they walked. They both already felt a kinship for each other, which was strange after so little time—but tragedies often brought people together.

Carina sent Rani back to help Igrayne and Evy with what she could and strode purposefully toward the Republic medical team. She was pleased to find that the Republic had sent many of them. There were nurses, assistants, doctors, healers…

She began to assign patients to the team, eager to put them to work. She didn't want to lose any more patients than she already had. She finished speaking to one obstinate doctor in particular and turned around to find the one person she thought she'd never see again…

Mical.

Both had equally surprised looks on their faces. She couldn't help but hold his gaze, his gorgeous blue eyes locked on hers. He always did have a certain hold on her. A blonde lock of his usually pristine hair fell onto his face, and Carina almost reached up and pushed it back into place…almost.

They stood in silence for an uncomfortable moment before Carina broke the gaze and turned her attention immediately to her list of emergency patients. She bit her lip as a nervous habit and flipped through some pages.

"It's good to see you again." Mical said calmly.

The voice brought back a lot of memories. Good memories. But she hadn't the time to worry about the past. She snapped back into reality and into business mode. "Good to see you too, Mical. I'm gonna need your help. I have a list here of the patients that need the most serious care."

Mical frowned as he noticed how long the list was. "The Sith did this," he said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yes. Who else would cause so much damage...and death...and—" She caught herself. He always managed to make her lower her guard. Always. "Mind helping me?"

"No, not at all." He nodded and followed her, adding, "It would be my pleasure."

-------------------

"That should do it. You'll start feeling the affects of the medicine in a couple of minutes," Igrayne said, reassuring an elderly lady before heading off to the next patient.

So many.

So many wounded. More dead. It was unfathomable. At least there was still hope left. And as long as they had hope...they had a chance.

"Igrayne?" the quiet voice behind her queried. She instantly knew who it was...she was getting that light-headed sensation again.

"Yes?" she answered the Zabrak tech.

"There is a patient looking for you. Her name is...Rani, I believe," he said, his voice low as it always had been.

"Oh, is she all right?" Igrayne asked, worried.

"Yes, but she says she needs to speak with you about some bruises that have been acting up," he answered.

Igrayne nodded. "Of course. No problem. I'll be right there. Do you think you can find Evy for me?"

"Sure thing," he replied, although the look in his eyes suggested that he'd rather stay.

Igrayne was such a sucker for those eyes. "Actually, I'm gonna need your help..."

--------------

Evy moved about the tons of clustered patients. The whole quarter was alive with the sound of coughing, wheezing, sneezing, moaning, groaning, and a lot of other unpleasant sounds.

She was immensely thankful for the help from the Republic medical team that had just arrived. She looked around briefly and noticed that people were looking a lot better...almost light-hearted.

_Hope. The Medical team is giving them hope…_ She thought happily to herself. It was about time. She noticed Igrayne and the Zabrak technician helping the elderly and Carina and a blonde man seemed to be helping the wounded.

Evy was no fool...she could see that these two pairs had history together. Whether good or bad...they had it. And she wanted to know what it was...

-----------------

"Uh...Admiral?" Rani asked quietly.

"It's Carth," he replied with a sad smile. "Admiral is just a rank...one that didn't make me happy, as you can see."

"I'm sorry...about everything. The Sith...your wife and son..." Rani whispered. This man had an ache inside him that was easy to see. It pained her to see him in such emotional agony.

He nodded. "So am I."

"Is there...what I mean is...well, if there's ever anything I can do to help you, let me know," Rani finally stated.

Carth smiled warmly.

"I appreciate the concern," he said, taking comfort in the support.

Rani smiled back, locking eyes with the handsome Admiral.

"I...should go...help...or do...something...yeah," Rani stuttered nervously. "See ya!"

She rushed off to help the nearest person she could find.

----------------------

Igrayne eventually found Rani slowly wrapping gauze around an older woman's arm while talking softly with her. Igrayne hesitated to interrupt her since the patient was intently listening to Rani with tears welling up in her eyes.

"It will be all right, dear," Igrayne heard the older woman say, "Do you really think Destrik would want you to live the rest of your life as if you have no reason to live?"

Igrayne couldn't see Rani's expression; Rani's back was to her and Bao-Dur. But even from her position, Igrayne could sense the mix of emotions in Rani: pain, sadness, hope, and confusion.

The patient smiled kindly at Rani. "You have an advantage over me, you're young and beautiful, and you'll have no problem finding someone to spend your life with."

Rani chuckled softly before answering, "Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Nonsense, dear, I've already noticed that handsome man standing over there stealing glances at you. Isn't he the Admiral?"

Rani jumped up at the title and slammed her head on Bao-Dur's arm.

"Ouch! Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried to the Zabrak, clearly flustered.

After Igrayne realized that Rani's injury was nothing serious, she couldn't help but let out a rich laugh. Rani, realizing that Bao-Dur was with Igrayne, relaxed and joined in the laughter. It felt strange but good to have a real laugh after all that had happened.

The laughter died down and Igrayne decided not to acknowledge that she had heard the conversation between Rani and the patient. After all, Rani might be resilient, but there was no reason to embarrass her further about whatever was transpiring between her and Carth. Igrayne instead introduced Rani and Bao-Dur, and they exchanged pleasantries.

"So, you wanted me to look at some bruises?" Igrayne asked.

"Yeah, well, it isn't an emergency or anything, just every time I move it is really painful."

"Let's see what I can do about that," Igrayne replied while giving her a sympathetic smile.

As Igrayne treated Rani, she could feel the Zabrak's eyes on her. Although she knew he had something he wanted to say to her, which she wasn't sure she was ready to hear, his presence and attention was calming.

-----------------

Elsewhere, Carina and Mical finished treating the final few patients on the intensive list.

As she checked off the last name on her list, she sighed. "Good, we are done. Well, at least for today. Thank you, Mical, for helping me. I couldn't have done all of this without you."

"I'm glad I could help. But you've always had strength, you can do more than you think," Mical said to her. He smiled, and all vestiges of frustration seeped out of Carina.

_Damn him!_ She thought. _Damn him and his amazing smile._

She looked away, across the room and saw Evy, straightening up some medical supplies. Carina walked over to her without saying anything to Mical. He followed her.

As Evy worked on sorting a handful of supplies, she sensed Carina's presence. Without even looking up, she spoke to her friend.

"So, who's the guy?"

"What?"

"Oh, you know," said Evy, as she turned to face Carina. "The cute blonde doctor who seems to be following you around like a kath hound pup."

She gestured behind her and Carina followed her gaze, noticing that Mical was indeed heading in their direction.

Oh frack… 

Carina held a hand up to him, indicating that she would be with him in a moment and that she was currently having an important conversation.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" asked Evy, looking slightly disappointed that Carina had prevented Mical from greeting them.

"That's Mical," started Carina, "and he's hardly what I'd call a friend…he's more of an old acquaintance."

"Oh, I see. So, how do the two of you know each other?" asked Evy casually, as she resumed attending to the medical supplies. She was extremely interested in the apparent history between the two of them, although she masked her interest well.

Carina seemed mildly suspicious about Evy's sudden questioning of her, but she answered her anyway.

"We worked together in the field a few years back. We were co-workers and little more than friends."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Evy, as her eyebrows raised in an inquisitive expression. "Because the way he's staring at you is suggesting otherwise…"

Carina's eyes narrowed dangerously as she regarded her friend with a look that was nothing short of frightening.

"We were casual friends," stated Carina firmly. "Acquaintances. Nothing more. Nothing less. Maybe you should get back to work and stop busying yourself with the affairs of other people."

In typical Carina fashion, she stormed off down the hallway, completely ignoring Mical as she walked straight past him. The blonde doctor looked rather perplexed, and he glanced toward Evy, who merely shrugged at him. As she finished rearranging the remainder of the medical supplies, she swore to herself that she would figure out the rest of the story between Carina and Mical… whether they liked it or not.

-----------------------

Things were starting to stabilize, and some semblance of control and organization was established in the medical facility.

_Carina may be abrupt sometimes,_ Carth thought to himself as he appreciated the scene in front of him, _but she sure knows how to get things done. _Things were now efficient enough to allow the medical help work in shifts. He was grateful for this, since very few of them had gotten any rest since they'd landed on Iridonia, but the crazy atmosphere had halfway succeeded in distracting him from the deep sorrow and anger that burdened his heart.

Trying to keep himself occupied, he paced slowly down the aisles of patient beds before noticing Rani. She sat on the bed of a sleeping young boy with jet black hair. He stopped and stared at her as she held the youngster's hand and softly stroked his cheek. She seemed to be watching the boy, but seeing her glazed eyes, Carth could tell that her mind was far away. He had recently found out Rani's story from Igrayne, who had told him after she'd noticed him glancing at Rani…again.

_At least I got to say goodbye to Morgana,_ Carth thought. He remembered Destrik, the good-looking young man, and although Carth hadn't known him very well on a personal level, he had always appreciated the positive impact Destrik had on the morale of his other soldiers.

_Maybe that's why I'm drawn to her,_ Carth mulled as he realized, with slight embarrassment, that he was still watching her.

_We both lost those we loved the most in the galaxy. I failed Morgana and Dustil,_ he thought as he again gazed at the seemingly broken young woman, _but I can still protect her…_

------------------------

"You should get some sleep," a voice chided behind Rani.

She looked back to see Carina standing there. "I know."

"Yes, you know...and yet you're not getting any sleep," Carina said. "Okay, Rani, look. You're hurt...and you're worrying us all by the amount of pressure that you're exerting on yourself."

Rani shrugged. "I guess I just can't sleep."

"Okay then...waste away. But if you have a moment's peace, take advantage of it," Carina suggested.

"All right, I will. But you all can stop worrying about me. I'm fine. It's the rest of these poor people that you should be worried about." Rani got a distant look in her eyes and Carina felt guilty about bringing whatever she had up.

"Well, you're right." Carina nodded. "Oh...and did you notice the Admiral lately?"

Rani perked up at the mention of his name. "What about Carth?"

Carina grinned devilishly. "So you're on a first-name basis already? Impressive—"

"What do you mean?" Rani interrupted, nearly shrieking it out.

"Nothing...unless you think that I meant or was suggesting something." Carina raised an eyebrow and Rani blushed furiously.

"Hahaha...I'll see you later."

Carina immediately left and a blonde doctor—or healer—rushed over to her, a serious look on his face. Rani couldn't hear what they were saying but Carina immediately looked grief-stricken and nodded. She rushed away with the doctor, leaving Rani alone with her thoughts of everything that had happened...and the Admiral...

Rani decided that Carina was right, she should at least try to rest. After all her body and mind had been through the past few days, she'd be stupid to strain herself any more. She took one last lingering look at the young boy she sat with. He had been only moderately injured, but he had been hysterical, and Rani had taken it upon herself to calm the boy.

_Plus, look at him,_ she thought remembering his large expressive brown eyes so much like her own and touching the shiny black hair that was just like Destrik's. _Our child would have looked just like him._

Blinking back tears, Rani stood, gently readjusting the boy's coverlet.

_I wonder what Carth's wife and son were like?_ Her thoughts had again drifted to the handsome admiral.

She began to leave, intending to find Igrayne or Evy and ask them where she could find some clean clothes and a refresher, but before she could exit, she felt a gentle yet strong hand grip her forearm.

Rani turned and faced Carth. The eye contact was almost too intense for her. She looked down at her feet, noticing the dust collected on her clothes. She had attempted to stay away from him, fearful that there would be a repeat performance of her stuttering, and she didn't want him to catch her frequent glances she threw at him.

Carth didn't let go of her arm, and the touch sent tingles down Rani's spine.

"Rani, I…"


	2. The Cantina Deal

Evy paused while making her final checks on the patients she was responsible for and noticed Carina striding down the hall. Mical, the cute doctor, was close on her heels. Evy normally would have wanted to make some smart remark, but the anguished look on Carina's face halted her. She rushed to catch up with Carina, anxious to know what was wrong.

"Wha—"

Evy had barely gotten two words out before Carina halted her with a single, imperious hand gesture.

"Don't!" she said, the irritation apparent in her tone. Evy backed off as Carina went and locked herself in the nearby 'fresher.

_How odd,_ she thought. She would find out the whole story later, and then maybe things would make more sense.

As Evy was walking back through the rows and rows of patients, Igrayne came and tapped her arm.

"I've got a contact down in the city, he's promised me crates of medical supplies. I'm going to meet him now at the cantina to conclude our business, but I'd like you to come with me. Can't really be sure if the business he's running is savory or not...if you get my drift."

Evy nodded, but remained unconvinced.

"I think I'd better serve you here, ministering to the patients. Don't you think?"

"Please just come with me," Igrayne said, "I'd feel more secure if I have backup."

Evy shouldered her hard.

"Why don't you ask that tech who's been watching you? I don't think he's taken his eyes off you once since we landed!"

Igrayne turned an impressive shade of red at the mention of the young Zabrak tech. She shook her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do," Evy said as they began suiting up for the long walk. Igrayne slipped on her boots and pursed her lips.

"I don't know him personally. He was in Kevan's squad. Kevan was an acquaintance of mine from way back. But I don't know the tech."

_Only his name,_ she thought dreamily. They had shared little more than glances here and there. When he approached her a few minutes ago, she was shocked to discover that he knew her name. But then, he must have known who she was while working with Kevan. Her name must have popped up in a conversation here or there... She had been told a time or two that she was the subject of frustrated locker room speculation among her underlings during her stint as a General in the grand Republic army.

"The look you gave him would suggest otherwise," Evy hinted devilishly.

"Oh, stuff it!" Igrayne said in frustration.

"See? You're flustered!"

The two women took off on the long walk into the nearby city, which was bustling with activity. As they entered the small, seedy cantina, they were surprised to see the alien faces turn in their direction. Normally, they wouldn't have been singled out for walking into a cantina—but this was Iridonia, and human visitors were a rare occurrence.

Igrayne's contact materialized in the form of a swanky-looking Zabrak in a cloak. He had a booth by the back of the cantina and had apparently been waiting for them for some time, because two empty drinks sat next to the new one he was nursing. Igrayne slipped into the booth, as did Evy.

"I've got my man on the job," the Zabrak said in his native language, "But I don't want to be dragged into this war against the Sith."

"Yeah, I know," Igrayne said resentfully, digging through her pocket for the credits she had promised him. "So, instead, you stand back like a coward, make your money off both sides if necessary...play both fields. I must say, you've certainly got a good business sense."

"I don't appreciate your tone," the Zabrak snipped, grabbing her money before quickly pocketing it. "Kevan said he trusted you, so I'm doing you a favor."

"You're not doing me any favors," Igrayne spat, "I paid you. If you had been doing me a favor, you would've given me all this for free instead of robbing me blind."

Evy was wisely silent as the altercation took place. She was a little afraid to open her mouth and ruin whatever precarious agreement the two had between them.

"I don't do things out of the goodness of my heart," the Zabrak said, "and I don't think many sentients would."

"Spoken like a true Sith," Igrayne growled.

The Zabrak drew the cowl of his cloak slightly back—just enough for her to see his eyes, glowing like two red embers in his horned skull.

"I owe no allegiances to either side. Get that one thing straight."

"Fine," Igrayne said, standing up from her seat. "Our business is over. You get me those shipments by tonight, or I'm putting out a bounty on you."

"Nonsense. I'm a man of my word," the creature said, taking one long swig of his drink. "You'll have your medical supplies before nightfall."

"Good enough," Igrayne replied. "Come on, Evy."

They turned around and began walking away from the table.

"What was that about?" Evy queried.

"Don't even ask. Guy's a scumbag. That's why I wanted you with me, so he didn't pull a fast one over me."

She pulled back her cloak to reveal two blasters strapped down in holsters on her legs.

"And, of course, I came prepared. If he'd tried anything, I'd just unload my artillery on him."

"Smart," Evy said, "But it'd draw too much attention. This is not exactly the kind of place you want to start a fight."

Just as she had said that, one of the bar's occupants went sailing backward over their path before landing in a crouch. The human man had apparently been thrown by an alien standing at the bar top, who had both hands balled into fists as though he were itching for a fight.

"Look, now," the man said drowsily, recovering from the fall he'd just taken, "Let's be reasonable about this..."

"Get the hell out of here, scumbag!" the alien roared loudly. "No credits, no dice. You play, you pay."

"I'll get the money to you soon," the man said, "It's on it's way."

"It's been 'on its way' for a while now!" the alien replied.

"Okay, okay, so I got a little sidetracked," the man said, rubbing the back of his neck, which was raw and bruised. "I'll have it for you soon."

"Tonight," the alien demanded.

"Tonight," the man said, nodding, "or I turn myself into you and let you carve me up into a bantha hide."

The alien raised what must have constituted its brow ridge at this new and exciting proposition. It pointed one accusatory finger at the man in the ribbed leather jacket.

"You bring it to me tonight."

"Of course," the man said, both hands up in the air. The alien jerked its chin in his direction as two of the bar's patrons went and grabbed him by each of his arms, tossing him out of the front of the bar.

Igrayne and Evy walked outside and looked down at the human male.

"Trouble?" Evy asked, crossing her arms in front of his chest. The man was lapping up the blood on his lip with his tongue when he looked up to see the two women hovering over him. His expression instantly turned flirtatious.

"Not anymore."

Evy rolled her eyes as if to say "spare me," then resumed her imposing stance.

"You got a name?"

"Atton. Atton Rand." His hand was rubbing the back of his head, trying to smooth down his brown hair where it stood up in places. "Forgive me if I don't shake hands."

"After that, you're lucky you even have a hand to shake," Igrayne said in jest.

"Yeah, well, thanks for reminding me."

He stood up and brushed himself off. He was very tall and lean, and towered over Evy. Despite his handsome appearance, he came off as being very arrogant...even vain.

"So, you ladies looking for a bit of company?" Atton asked.

"We're not looking to be propositioned," Igrayne corrected him.

"Well, if you change your mind..."

"Oh, I can't believe this. Come on, Evy!" Igrayne said, grabbing her friend by the arm to tug her along toward the medical facility. Atton scrambled to keep up with them.

"Wait!"

"Want something?" Igrayne asked, spinning around to face him.

"All right, look sweetheart. It's like this: I can't go back there."

"And we should care because...?" Igrayne asked.

"Because you're both beautiful and intelligent women?" he asked, looking from one to the other and back in the hopes that his flattery went over well. When they remained unmoved at his attempts to soften them, he added,

"...And because I have credits to give you?"

"How much?" Igrayne queried. "I thought you were short, and that's why you were kicked out of the cantina back there. Or was that just my imagination?"

Atton dug his hands into his pockets.

"I have it...just not with me."

Igrayne and Evy resumed walking. Atton dodged desperately in front of them.

"No, no, wait! Listen to me! You're both offworlders, right? I'm stranded here, as it is, until I can find a transport offworld to Nar Shaddaa. If you can get me there, I promise you double what I owe them back in there."

"Am I supposed to believe you'll keep your word?" Evy asked.

"Wait...let's at least listen to him," Igrayne said, "He might be onto something."

"Yes, listen to her, I might be onto something!" Atton said, motioning toward Igrayne.

Evy released a frustrated sigh.

"We don't have time for this, Igrayne. We need to get back before those medical supplies are delivered. The patients need us."

"I'll help you out, at least until you get me to Nar Shaddaa," Atton offered.

"That offer sounds intriguing," Igrayne said.

"...But we won't take it!" Evy answered for her, trying to drag her off again."

"Wait a minute!" Igrayne protested. Atton followed in pursuit of them both.

"So you have no intention of paying back your debtors back there?" Evy asked, circling her thumb in the cantina's direction. Atton shrugged.

"No, not really. I told them what they want to hear."

Evy nodded her head at him.

"You amaze me."

"Thank you," Atton said, running a hand through his slightly mussed brown hair.

"Forget it," she said flatly.

Igrayne stopped her from going any further, though. She turned around and looked at her seriously.

"We can't just leave him here."

"He's not our problem," Evy said. "Let's not bite off more than we can chew."

Igrayne shook her head.

"Whatever happened to helping others, championing the underdog? Isn't that what the Republic is about? There's only one other group I know that shows no mercy...the Sith."

"Don't you ever compare me to them," Evy said, her finger pointed in Igrayne's face.

She turned back around to Atton and relented.

"Fine. He can come. But the minute he starts causing trouble, he's out of here."

"Fair enough," Atton said with a broad, sparkly smile.

They walked back to the medical facility with their newest acquisition, prepared for Carina's disapproval. She didn't like anything that wasn't regulated or on her list, Igrayne thought. She had a list for almost everything. Anything that didn't fit into her orderly life was simply an unwelcome distraction.

Which was just what this Atton might prove to be...

An unwelcome distraction.

--------------------------

Upon arriving back at the medical facility, Igrayne and Evy decided to talk about what to do with their new acquaintance before getting back to work.

"So, what are we going to do with him?" asked Evy in an undertone, so Atton couldn't hear them. The scoundrel was still trailing a few feet behind them as he observed the happenings of the facility, seeming rather disinterested. "It's not as if we have a lot of extra room here, and he's likely to cause trouble. I know his type."

"Well, I think we have a couple of spare dorm rooms.." started Igrayne. "He can stay there until he lives up to his end of our deal."

"That's impossible,' said Evy. "We had to move patients into the spare dorm rooms this morning due to over-crowding. There are no empty ones left."

"Oh… well… then I guess he'll just have to tag along with one of us for the time being."

"By 'one of us' you mean you, right?"

"He can't come with me," stated Igrayne. "I already have enough things on my mind. You're going to have to look after him for now."

Evy stopped dead in her tracks, as she turned to face Igrayne, clearly exasperated.

"You're not seriously suggesting that he's going to stay with me are you? I didn't even want him here in the first place!"

"Do you have any better ideas?" asked Igrayne simply. "Just keep an eye on him at all times and carry a blaster with you just in case he tries anything. Who knows? He may end up being helpful."

"Yeah, about as helpful as a tumor…" mumbled Evy, apparently unhappy with her new 'assignment'.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Igrayne smiled at her friend and patted her on the shoulder before heading off to her duties.

"You'll be fine. And hey, it's a bonus that he's cute, right?" she joked, giving a slight laugh before disappearing down the hallway, leaving Atton and Evy alone.

"Where's she going?" asked Atton, who was apparently oblivious throughout their entire conversation.

"You're coming with me," said Evy firmly, as she didn't bother masking her annoyance. "Just stay close and don't stray away from me. You're going to help me make my rounds."

She started to make her way swiftly down the hallway, and Atton followed suit as he ran to catch up with her. They arrived at a small supply room, where Evy began piling medical supplies into Atton's hands.

"So, I didn't catch your name before…" said Atton casually, as he made an attempt at conversation.

"Evy," she said rather indifferently.

"And you're a nurse?"

"Yes."

"Ah, okay. So that explains the analytical, no-nonsense attitude?"

She stopped gathering the supplies for a moment as she glared at Atton.

"The origins of my 'analytical no-nonsense attitude' are not your concern," she snapped, becoming more irritated by the second. "I'm just doing my job and you're not making this any easier for me. And besides… I met you no more than ten minutes ago. You don't even know me, and I prefer to keep things that way. Got it?"

Atton seemed slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, but an amused expression crossed his features.

"Ah, so you're a complicated one…" he said as he flashed her a pearly white grin. "I like that in a woman."

Evy continued to glare at him, before she gathered up the rest of the supplies and headed out of the room with Atton trailing behind her. She had to admit, the scoundrel was indeed handsome… but also highly infuriating. And she, of all people, was stuck with him.

She had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night...

------------------------

"Rani…I…" Carth paused, unsure of how to express his sympathy.

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Rani couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled her arm out of his grasp, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, Admiral, I mean, uh Carth…I'm glad you found me," Rani blurted, feeling self-conscious. The dirty clothes weren't helping.

"Oh, is there something you need?" Carth replied, grateful for the break in tension.

"Yeah…uh…have you happened to see Igrayne or Evy?"

"Sorry, you just missed them, they headed out to get supplies."

"Oh," Rani said, again stumped for words.

Carth again began thinking of a way to word his thoughts, but Rani interrupted him.

"Have you seen Carina?"

Rani knew how lame she sounded. Carina had rushed out of the room only a few minutes beforehand. She tried to cover up her nervousness by laughing. It came out awkwardly, and only compounded her anxiousness.

"Uh, I think she's busy right now," Carth answered with an amused smile, "but I'm here to help."

Something about the young woman made him momentarily forget his pain.

"Well…it's just I haven't showered since the attack, as you can see," she said, waving her hands over her dust-ridden clothes. Carth's smile relaxed her.

_I can trust him,_ she thought.

"Oh, right!" Carth looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I should have…"

"No problem, there were more important things to take care of, I know."

"Okay, well I think I can find some clothes for you, and you can shower in the 'fresher in my room."

Rani's cheeks turned pink, and she followed Carth to the dorms.

-----------------------

Mical stood outside the door to the 'fresher she'd locked herself into trying to coax Carina out.

"Why don't you come out so we can talk about it?" Mical offered.

There was no answer.

"Talking things over always helped before," Mical tried again.

"Go away, Mical," Carina finally lashed out, "and stop talking about before, you don't even know who I am anymore."

"I doubt that, some things never change," Mical spoke wistfully.

_Wasn't I just saying that to myself earlier today?_ Carina was already upset, and then Mical had to go and seemingly read her thoughts again…

-----------------

Rani felt like a teenager as she showered in the personal 'fresher of Admiral Carth Onasi. She giggled to herself as she washed away all the dust. A little while later, she dressed in the medical assistant uniform Carth had found for her. The water seemed to have washed her cares away, until she looked in the steamy mirror before her.

It seemed to hit her all at once.

_Destrik is gone, dead…you'll never see him again._

She would have broken into tears, but she couldn't. Her eyes were dry, and so was her life.

Carth lounged in a chair in his dorm room, waiting for Rani. He massaged his head with his hands as if he were trying to squeeze out all the bad memories. Rani suddenly came out of the 'fresher, and Carth looked up at her. Even with her hair dripping wet and the simple white garments she wore, she looked beautiful. She walked closer to him and he could see her face more clearly now, and those large, sad eyes.

------------------------

Mical had given up for the time being.

_Carina's still stubborn, she'll come out when she's ready._

He stood leaning against the wall next to the door to the 'fresher, silently listening to her muffled sobs. A young medical assistant walked up to him hesitantly.

"Hi," the dark-haired woman said, "uh, is Carina in there?"

"Yes," he replied, unsure of who the young woman was, "is there something wrong?"

"Well, I'm Carina's friend, Rani."

"Yes, she did mention you, I didn't know you were an assistant."

Rani looked at Mical curiously before realizing her outfit was confusing him. "Oh no, I just needed something to wear."

She saw movement in the hallway further behind the blonde doctor, and she craned her neck in order to see Evy and a tall man who was good-looking and knew it…

--------------------------

There was a moment in which the doors opened, probably not even noticeable by the people within who were either injured or helping said injured ones. Rayne entered the medical facility and instantly curled her nose. The smell of carbon scorched flesh and death was pungent in the air and it nearly made her sick. She, however, stuck it out like a champ and looked around.

"Who do I have to talk to around here to volunteer here?"

The question just floated out into the air, lost in the hustle and bustle of the occupants of the facility. She sighed and walked further in, her pack on her side full of her medical supplies.

"Is it the way I'm dressed, cause I would change if I could."

It was true. She wasn't dressed like a normal medical techy. No, she wore her smuggler's uniform, having just gotten dropped off from her business on the Corellian Run, and she wanted to help.

--------------------------

"Don't touch that."

"What...this?"

"I said _don't touch it_!"

"Sheesh, no need to have a bantha about it."

Evy glared at the scoundrel sitting before her. Why did she always get stuck babysitting? Sure, he was cute...and handsome...and that jacket...but really! She had other things to do. _Important things that don't include babysitting some backstabbing scoundrel. No matter how cute he is._

"So...?" Atton began casually, trying to start a conversation. "You married?"

"Look...I don't know you. Quite frankly, I don't really think I want to...but we're stuck together for the time being so if you would kindly be quiet...for even a little bit—" Evy snapped.

"What's your problem?" Atton asked.

"What's my problem? You're my problem!" She replied angrily. All the stress was starting to take it's toll on the poor woman.

A pained expression crossed Atton's face briefly before it disappeared. "Oh, well excuse me for trying to help you out. How was I suppose to know that I was gonna be a burden!"

Evy felt instantly guilty by the way he talked. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. It's just..."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna try and take a nap...so keep it down," Evy said, rolling onto her side on the couch she lay on, shutting her eyes tight to avoid looking at the roguishly handsome man behind her...

---------------------

"I apologize if I've offended you in any way. I didn't—" Mical began again.

The 'fresher door opened and Carina walked out. Much to his surprise, her eyes weren't red. She'd managed to compose herself in little time at all...which begged the question: how many times had she had to do that while helping all these victims?

Carina took a breath. "No, you haven't done anything. It's my fault, and I'm sorry. It's just all this pressure...and stress. It's starting to get to me, you know?"

Mical nodded sympathetically. "It's hard to be around so many suffering and know that you will be unable to ease that suffering."

"Exactly." He was doing it again. Sometimes, she could swear that he was Force-sensitive or something. "I guess it comes down to this: I really don't need a distraction during times like these."

Mical raised an eyebrow curiously. "Distraction?"

Carina blushed. "Well, you know...I mean to say...if you'll excuse me—"

She quickly slipped off to go help someone or do anything, quite frankly. She had to get away before she started saying things that she'd later regret...

------------------

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Rani said, sitting beside Carina who was patching up a man's arm.

"Sorry...I was otherwise...preoccupied, you could say," Carina said, although to Rani the comment seemed laced with innuendo.

"Preoccupied as in...busy with that cute blonde doctor?" Carina's head shot up and looked at her. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Rani giggled. "Sure you don't."

"I don't!" Carina replied in a shrill voice.

"Whatever you say." Rani loved seeing the embarrassed look on her new friend's face. "Anyway, have any clothes I can borrow? I seem to have misplaces mine, so to speak."

Carina breathed in relief. "Yeah, sure. My room is Room seventeen, hallway seven. Right down the corner. All my clothes are in the footlocker."

"Okay, thanks," Rani said.

Carina decided that she'd try getting her friend back. "Oh, and don't go wasting those clothes by having them...thrown on the floor or maybe even ripped off." She winked and looked over at Admiral Onasi, who hadn't taken his eyes off Rani.

Rani blushed even more than Carina had. "What do you mean? I don't know what you mean...not at all...I mean, what did you think...are you implying...I have to go."

Carina laughed as Rani nearly sprinted out of view...

--------------------------

As Evy awoke from her nap, she rolled over groggily, glancing at the chrono hanging on the wall.

"Oh, frack!" she cursed loudly as she scrambled into an upright position.

She had been sleeping for nearly an hour and her next shift was about to start soon. As she reluctantly lifted herself off the sofa, Evy glanced around the room. Atton was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he was courteous enough to leave her alone while she rested. More than likely, he was probably busying himself with being a nuisance to the other nurses in the facility. But at least he wasn't bothering her at the moment… finally, she had some peace.

Evy was about to change into a fresh uniform before she realized that she hadn't showered in a couple of days. She had been too occupied with her patients to look after herself much.

_Well, I guess a quick shower couldn't hurt…_ she thought to herself as she grabbed her clothes and headed to the nearest 'fresher. As she opened the door, Evy was shocked to see Atton standing there, soaking wet and wearing nothing but his pants.

"Oh, geez!" she yelled, as she quickly averted her eyes and closed them tightly. Although she hated to admit it, she could feel heat rising into her face.

"Sleeping beauty has awakened…" said Atton in a slightly sarcastic manner. "Trying to sneak a peek of me while I'm caught off guard?"

"I didn't know anyone was in here…" she mumbled, still extremely flustered. "Wait a second. What the hell are you doing in my 'fresher, anyway?" Evy allowed herself to open her eyes and she forced herself to look at Atton's face and nothing else.

Atton shrugged, looking rather pleased by her reaction as a smile played upon his lips.

"Igrayne said I could use the 'fresher since the other ones were being used. Figured I might as well clean up if I'm going to be helping out in a hospital. I thought I'd be done by the time you woke up… sorry 'bout that."

"Yeah… well, it's all right. No harm done. Next time, just make sure you're done faster, okay? I'm on a schedule here."

"Sure, whatever you say."

Although she tried to restrain herself, Evy's gaze drifted downwards and her eyes glanced over his torso. She couldn't help but admire his fit figure. He was very thin, yet muscular at the same time…

Damn, he looks even better when he's shirtless… what a body! No, wait…stop thinking like that! 

Snapping herself out of it, she made her way into the room. As Atton brushed passed her, he smiled that infuriatingly gorgeous smile of his and Evy felt her knees go weak.

"See ya later, nurse," he said to her as he left the 'fresher.

Evy stared after him, feeling extremely confused. She immediately blamed her behavior on her lack of sleep, hoping that her shower would clear her mind and rid her of her conflicting emotions…

---------------------------

Atton dried himself off and put his clothes on again as he grinned to himself. His previous encounter with Evy in the 'fresher was certainly interesting. If he wasn't mistaken, she was actually attracted to him.

But don't get too ahead of yourself, Rand, you know how women are… 

Ridding his thoughts of the young nurse, Atton decided to take a stroll around the facility. If he timed things right, he could be back before Evy was out of the shower, and he'd avoid the rage that was sure to come from her. He made his way down the nearest hallway, glancing into doors here and there. He was so occupied with his exploring, that he didn't even notice the nurse that was heading his way. Atton bumped straight into her as he emitted an audible "umph!" causing the woman to drop her papers all over the floor.

Carina's eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar man, as she placed her hands upon her hips in an imposing stance.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked angrily.

"I said who are you?" Carina repeated angrily.

"Geez, take it easy. I'm here to help," he said, trying to look suave.

"Oh yeah? Well, you can help by staying out of the way Mr…Mr. whoever you are!" Carina yelled at him. "I don't have time for people interfering with—"

"Take it easy, I'm with Igrayne and Evy," Atton said, dropping the names in an effort to calm her. She became even more angry.

"Great! Just great!" She threw her arms up in the air. "Now we're picking up even more pathetic lifeforms!"

"Now, wait just one—"

"Oh boy, are they ever gonna get an earful on this..."

"I'm just here to—"

"I mean, you could have brought the Sith or worse! You could _be_ a Sith!" Carina looked at him suspiciously.

Atton's face hardened. "I am no Sith."

"We'll see now, won't we?"

She glared at him before picking her papers up and storming off, mumbling to herself...

-----------------------

The clothes were loose but were much more comfortable than the rags Rani had been wearing before. Carina had a decent selection of clothes, most ranging from tight fitting to loose dresses. Luckily, she was around the same size as Carina.

There was a knock on the door and she quickly hurried to get it, subconsciously hoping it was Carth. She was disappointed when it turned out to be Igrayne.

"Something up?" she asked casually.

Igrayne looked behind herself nervously. "Have you seen Bao-Dur?"

"No, why?"

"Okay, good. He's been following me nearly all day."

"And...that's a..._bad_ thing?" Rani asked slowly, enunciating words.

"Oh, don't give me that. It's not like we're anything more than acquaintances—"

Rani sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's what Carina said too about her and that cute blonde doctor."

"You mean Mical? Mical's here?" Igrayne looked astonished.

"Uh...yeah, I think that's what his name was. Why?"

"Well, it's a long story. I've known Carina for a while and..." She seemed nervous again. "He's watching me from across the room, behind the medical supply table."

Rani peeked around her friend and saw him. She'd been right. Rani giggled and Igrayne glared at her.

"See what I mean?" Igrayne said. "I need to take a nap...can I sleep here?"

Rani shrugged. "Yeah, sure...but you gotta tell me more about this Carina/Mical thing..."

-------------------

Carth sat alone in a corner of one of the many huge patient facility rooms. It was noisy, but it helped him block out the pain and thoughts of his wife's passing. And his son? Carth could only assume he was dead as well...and that made him grieve even more.

His eyes were focused on the ceiling, and to the average passerby, it'd appear that he was sleeping, when really, he was mourning. _Force, I miss her already...I miss them both already. A lot of damn good being an Admiral did..._ Carth mentally cursed himself for not getting to Telos sooner.

"Hey," a soft voice called to him from his side.

His eyes snapped open. "Rani! Uh...good to see you again. You're looking—" _Beautiful. Stunning. Perfect._ "Better."

Rani was slightly disappointed by his answer, but showed little outward reaction to it. "Yeah, I feel a lot better. The gals here really do their job well."

"As do the extra medical help we've received from the Republic," Carth added. "They sent their best, such as Mical, which is comforting to me. At least they care a little."

"Ah, Mical..." Rani grinned knowingly and Carth raised an eyebrow.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Only that my nurse friend has a bit of an attachment, let us say, for this said healer," Rani said, holding in a laugh.

Carth smiled at this. "Ah, I see. Well...that certainly is news to me. Mical's a good friend of mine...but usually keeps to himself mostly...even when he has a lot of female attention."

"Yeah, well, you can't tell anyone I told you or I'll get in massive trouble," Rani said, feeling she could trust this man, even though she hardly knew him. _I know him well enough to know that he's a good person._ She thought to herself.

"Of course. My lips are sealed."

Carth chuckled, a warm deep chuckle that made Rani's heart skip a beat. Already, she was falling for this Admiral...falling hard...

----------------------

Igrayne curled up on the bed in Carina's room. She closed her eyes, and tried her best to relax and fall asleep.

_I've been awake for so long, I should have been asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow._

Even though she tried her hardest to control her thoughts, they kept drifting to the Zabrak in the next room. It was as if she could see him somehow, through the walls. She opened her eyes, in surprise, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She again shut her eyes, and the eerie vision returned. It seemed so real as she "watched" him tinker with what seemed to be a broken holophone. His piercing eyes were squinted in concentration, and he absentmindedly rolled up his short sleeved shirt to scratch his shoulder. His arm was strong and well muscled…

Her eyes flew open. _Snap out of it, Igrayne!_ she scolded herself silently.

---------------------

Bao-Dur's concentration was broken.

_Did someone just call out my name?_

He slowly looked around the room, but no one seemed interested in him. He looked suspiciously towards the room that Igrayne had disappeared into not long before.

It almost seemed as if she were calling me… 

----------------------

As she unhappily shuffled through her papers at one of the central med stations, Carina kept her back in the direction of Mical.

_It's hard enough to keep all this in order without having to watch him look at me with so much pity._

It wasn't the pity in his eyes that bothered her the most, but she wasn't ready to admit the real reason why she couldn't look at him. Even when she kept him out of her line of vision, she could still sense his presence.

_All comes with the territory,_ she sighed to herself, _will I ever escape the past?_

Out of the corner of her eye, Carina saw a flash of blue. Looking in that direction, she saw Rani, wildly gesturing at her from across the room. Rani was wearing one of Carina's favorite floor-length dresses, it was made of simple fabric but it was the color of a tropical sky and it had long flared sleeves with a generously low but classy neckline.

_Wow, it fits pretty well. And she looks pretty good in it. I wonder if Carth has seen her yet._ She partly smiled at her own thoughts and partly because of the goofy grin on Rani's face.

"What?" Carina mouthed at Rani.

Rani said nothing, and instead looked exaggeratedly at Mical and then back to Carina all with a mischievous grin on her face.

Carina balked. _Exactly what does she know?_

Rani then proceeded to make a hilarious bunch of kissy faces before noticing that she was catching some young male nurse's attention. She immediately stopped, and Carina had expected her to go running off in embarrassment as was typical of Rani, but she didn't.

If she only acts that embarrassed around Carth, maybe there is something going on there? 

Instead, Rani just threw another look at Mical and gave a jovial wink to Carina before disappearing almost as suddenly as she arrived. Carina couldn't help but laugh.

That girl…she thought cheerfully…will drive me crazy or…she might just keep me sane! 

--------------------

Rani walked slowly down the emptiest hall she could find, smiling slightly. She had made Carina laugh, and so she had accomplished what she had set out to do. The anguish of the attack on Telos was still burning inside of her, but she was trying her hardest to make the best of things.

_What is the point of crying all the time? Crying won't bring Destrik back. There is already enough pain in this galaxy, without me adding to it._

Besides, she couldn't help but feel hopeful about life in the company of her new friends, Igrayne, Evy, and Carina…

_And probably Carth, most of all…_she thought, surprised at her own realization.

A suspicious-looking man was playing with the lock of what looked to be the door to a supply room. Rani ducked behind some boxes, trying her hardest to be quiet. She watched the man, trying to see who he was. He turned slightly to look down the hall and that gave Rani a clear view of his face. It was the same man that she had noticed with Evy earlier. She narrowed her eyes in thought before deciding that she should just go to Evy instead of trying to confront the man. Rani crept as stealthily as she could back down the hallway and turned the corner before breaking out into a run. She ran as fast as she could, her neck craned around behind her to see if the handsome but vain man had noticed or followed her. Before she knew it she ran straight into someone, bouncing back, and landing quite ungracefully on her behind.

"Hey! Watch it, Princess," the statuesque woman Rani had run into said sneeringly.

"I'm sorry," Rani said softly, trying not to stare at the tall woman's flashing yellow-green eyes.

"Ah, it's okay," the woman replied, feeling slightly sorry for her outburst. She helped Rani up.

The two women looked at each other momentarily. Neither was dressed appropriately for a medical facility. Rani wanted to question the woman, but hesitated. There was something about the woman that was, well, frightening.

_Is that a smuggler's outfit?_ Rani thought to herself as she wondered what to do next.


	3. The Crash on Corellia

A sudden blast shook the whole facility by its foundation. Another, softer blast followed, and then the security alarms burst forth with sound.

What in the Force...? 

Igrayne got up and slipped on a robe over her nightgown to keep some shard of decency instead of wandering around the halls of the medical facility nearly naked. She gave her hair a comb-through before keying the lock to the door and looking around.

Everything seemed to be ordinary, but for a moment...in her head, she had sensed an unwelcome presence. Almost as if...

"General?" a voice softly said. That was hardly a title she ever expected to hear again. Igrayne spun immediately about, her fingers clinging to the folds of the robe. She was a little embarrassed at Bao-Dur seeing her in this semi-state of undress, but there was no time for formalities.

"Did you hear that?"

He rubbed both hands on a short utility pack wrapped round his middle. He had a small hydrospanner tucked into one pocket. He must have been working on the tech when the first blast hit.

He didn't have time to answer her question as Carina ran up frantically.

"The Sith are bombing the planet!"

"What?" Igrayne asked, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach and back up into her throat. Bao-Dur seemed to have difficulty digesting this new turn of events, too. He stood beside her mutely, as though mulling it over.

"We need to get these people out of here!"

"Where are we going to go?" Igrayne asked as the ground beneath them began to tremble again. Carina looked frantic and ready to cry.

"I...don't know!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Further beyond them, Evy was at the head of the room, delegating responsibilities to each of the facility's occupants.

"Everybody get out! Quickly! If you need assistance, one of our nurses will come by and help you."

Igrayne turned and went to the patients needing help. She lifted her hands under one of the elderly men and tried to boost him from his seat. Another pair of hands was beside her in an instant, helping her shift the weight off the bed. She looked up and smiled at Bao-Dur in earnest.

The moment was short-lived. The facility was filled with the frenzied screams of fleeing people and those still too sick to move of their own volition. Carina had calmed herself long enough to go around and try to help as much as possible.

"What do we do?" Igrayne asked desperately, her arm wrapped around the elderly man's shoulders. Bao-Dur motioned to her, the blue light of his artificial arm humming with energy.

"Come with me. There is a way out. It's dangerous, though."

"Then we take our chances!" Igrayne said. "I'm not going to sit here and watch the whole planet be bombed into submission! Not like Telos!"

Bao-Dur seemed to understand this as he gave her a quick nod then motioned the others to follow out a small side passage into the lush landscape of Iridonia. The nearby port was filled with departing transports. Most of them had already gone by now—all but one.

The next few bombs were placed within a few square miles of the facility. It wouldn't be much longer before the whole building was incinerated, Igrayne thought sadly.

Evy had herded as many people as she could round up through the passage toward the ship. The line of people began swiftly boarding the ship. Igrayne peered inside, surprised to see Kevan at the piloting controls. He waved to her.

"Get on, quick!"

"Not yet," she said, "Spare me a few more minutes. I've got to save the others!"

"We don't have enough time, General!" Kevan said desperately. "I need to leave now!"

Igrayne ignored him and spun around, headed toward the facility. But before she could get far, Bao-Dur caught her by the arm and made her face him. She could feel the intensity of his stare, and then his tense hold on her relaxed a little bit, as if he was suddenly aware of the touch.

"It's too dangerous."

"I have to."

"Then I go with you."

She shrugged. "If you must."

He followed her back as she struggled to keep her balance among the tremors shooting through the earth. On her way back to the facility, she passed Carina and Mical. Carina had a young child in her arms, the same little girl she had seen before. The frightened child had seemingly passed out. Carina was shielding her face against her chest.

"Don't go in there!" she said. "It's too late! The ceiling's already collapsed!"

Igrayne could still hear the moans coming from inside the facility. The sound tugged at her heartstrings, and she dodged headlong into the place, determined to scrounge around for some more scrappy survivors. Bao-Dur almost lifted her bodily back, but stopped himself from doing so when he realized she was out of his reach.

Igrayne dug around through the rubble and part of the collapsed roof, calling out a frantic greeting to any who might still be alive. The moans she had heard moments before were now eerily silent. Dead bodies littered the floor around her, like a living graveyard. She had to watch her step to make sure she wasn't desecrating some makeshift grave...

She fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. The sobs racked her pitifully frail body as she realized that she'd failed, for once, in her duty. She wanted to stay there and lay down like the rest of the dead. How could she have let them die, like that?

Bao-Dur's hand was upon her shoulder.

"We must go," he said insistently, his characteristically soft voice taking on a rougher edge. She shook her head.

"What use will you be to the survivors if you, too, are dead, General?" he asked.

There it was again. The name she half-expected never to hear again. The title by which she was formerly known. It pained some part of her to hear Bao-Dur speak it, like a curse.

She said nothing, only allowed the Zabrak to lift her to her feet and draw her out of the path of a falling beam, headed back toward the ship. As he pushed her along, she felt grief and bitter resentment beginning to build up inside of her. It wasn't until later, inside the ship, when they were preparing for liftoff, that she finally realized where she was.

She lay on a small bed in the medlab under a hot white light. The young doctor, Mical, was examining her and making notes on a small clipboard that he carried with him. She finally turned her head to the sound of his voice when Carina came in to speak with him privately.

"What happened?" she asked. Mical's attention was diverted for the moment.

"Ah, you are speaking again. That's a good sign," he said positively, jotting down a few more notes.

"The facility..." Igrayne said dreamily.

"Destroyed," Mical said with a tinge of palpable sadness in his voice. "As you would have been had that young technician not pulled you from the wreckage."

Bao-Dur. In the ensuing commotion, she had forgotten to thank him. She supposed he understood; he seemed like the type who was quietly intuitive, one who would certainly understand at least some of what she was going through. He probably just dealt with his grief in a more private manner.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Mical said, sitting down beside her, "You just suffered something of a shock, which is perfectly normal in extremely stressful situations."

"I'll be okay?" Igrayne asked, running a hand through her hair. Mical smiled warm-heartedly. It was no wonder Carina had always been so enamored of him. He seemed so good, so completely pure and innocent.

"You'll be just fine. You're under the best of care."

Mical left the room, and Igrayne saw the silhouette of Bao-Dur's body standing in the doorway. He was very quiet as he watched her rest, captivated by the soft rise and fall of her chest.

"May I come in?" he asked quietly. She nodded. He entered, but didn't sit. Perhaps he figured she would extend an invitation, but she was lax in niceties.

"I never got the chance to thank you, sir," Igrayne said.

"My name's Bao-Dur," he corrected her.

"Bao-Dur," she said with a nod, letting her eyes drift shyly up to him. She couldn't help but feel overheated in a situation like this. Especially now that, looking down, she realized she had been stripped to nearly her undergarments. Well, this certainly wasn't looking too pleasant.

"Bao-Dur," Kevan intoned from up in the pilot's seat. The Zabrak looked at Igrayne longingly one last time, before turning around and walking out the door.

"Please, excuse me."

She watched him leave, realizing that now wasn't the time to be exchanging conversation when they were hardly out of the battle. Kevan probably needed Bao-Dur to constantly check the readings on the ship's tech. Judging from the amount of hits the ship had taken to its hull, they were going to need whatever repair work Bao-Dur could give them.

Igrayne closed her eyes and tried to rid her mind of all thoughts of him. She dozed, happy in the knowledge that at least she, Carina, Evy and their new friend Rani had gotten offworld safely for the time being. She didn't know how many other survivors they'd managed to rescue, or how many, if any, of them were still alive.

She banished those thoughts as she drifted peacefully to sleep for what seemed the first time in a good, long time.

--------------------

Although she was still greatly shaken by the recent attack upon Iridonia, Evy managed to busy herself with tending to the survivors. The horrific scenes that she had witnessed back at the medical facility were constantly flashing through her mind, and although she tried desperately to rid herself of the images, they seemed to keep crawling back into her brain.

Somehow, she had managed to find some semblance of order among the utter chaos that had occurred, as she took charge and called out orders to the frightened medical staff. She had barely escaped the facility with her life, as she had lingered back to save as many patients as she possibly could… but she felt as if it wasn't enough. Evy and the others knew that the bombing of Iridonia was inevitable, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon and so abruptly. The wave of sadness that swelled within her was almost suffocating as she dwelled upon the attack. It was almost as if she could feel the suffering of the dying planet and all of it's inhabitants… screaming for help in their final hour…

So many people have lost their lives… so many deaths have occurred. Yet I'm still here…I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. But why don't I feel so fortunate?

"Something wrong?"

Torn from her sorrowful reverie, Evy looked up from her patient to see Atton standing near her. She hadn't even noticed him, so lost was she in her thoughts.

"You're looking kind of grim," continued Atton with a genuinely concerned look upon his face. "You want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine," said Evy firmly, as she moved to the next patient, taking their vitals. "Don't worry about me."

"Whatever you say," said Atton, giving a shrug. "You need any help?"

Evy looked up at him and nodded, giving a slight smile. "Yes, that would be appreciated… There's a box of bottled water over there. Do you mind giving them out to some of the survivors? We can't risk them getting dehydrated…"

"Sure thing," he said, as he made his way over to the box and lifted it effortlessly. Evy watched Atton intently as he began distributing the water to nearby patients. She helped him with the task as the two of them were once again working together.

"Atton, I need another one over here…"

He nodded, and as he extended his arm to hand her a bottle, she noticed that his sleeve was stained crimson.

"Is that your blood?" she asked, looking concerned as she took the bottle and gestured toward his arm.

"What?" he asked, somewhat puzzled. His gaze fell to his sleeve, where he finally noticed the wound on his arm. "Oh, yeah… must've nicked it on my way out of the facility…"

"Here, let me see…"

Without his consent, Evy gently grasped his arm and examined the wound as Atton's eyebrows raised.

"It's not very deep, but you should really let me clean this," she said, as she began digging through her medical supplies.

"Nah, that's not really necessary…it's just a scratch," he said as he pulled his arm away from her.

"But it could get infected," she insisted, looking at him sternly.

"Really, I'm fine."

Evy released a frustrated sigh. "For Force's sake, just let me clean it. It'll only take a minute, okay? Then you can continue being stubborn, or whatever else it is you do best…"

Atton observed her for a moment before giving an amused smile, raising his hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine… I'll let you patch up my arm if it makes you so damn happy. Geez, I don't know what it is with you nurses and your constant urges to fix everything…"

Atton sat patiently as Evy rolled up his sleeve, allowing easy access to his injury. He watched as she pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and poured some onto a cloth.

"Hold still…" she warned, in typical nurse-like fashion. "This is probably going to sting."

"Oh, please… spare me," said Atton sarcastically. "I've had enough injuries in my time, and most of them were nothing compared to this."

"Is that so? How fascinating…" said Evy rather unenthusiastically. She gently pressed the cloth to his wound, causing Atton to inhale sharply.

"Okay, that hurts a lot more than I thought it would…" he stated sincerely, still wincing as Evy chuckled.

"I warned you! Maybe you should stop being so damn arrogant for a change, you big baby."

"Yeah, yeah…" grumbled Atton. "Just finish patching me up so you can get back to being demanding, or whatever else it is you do best."

He grinned at her, and Evy couldn't help but smile at the fact that her words were being thrown back at her.

_He really is something…_ she thought to herself as she bandaged his arm. _But is it a good something or a bad something?_

Something told her that she'd find out, sooner or later… but for now, she was actually beginning to enjoy the scoundrel's company. However unwelcome it may have originally been…

---------------------

Rani was initially grateful when she heard the first blast—anything to get her away from the uncomfortable presence of the woman by her side. But as soon as the emergency alarms went off, Rani realized they all were in mortal danger. The smuggler woman bounded off without a word, and Rani found herself frozen in place.

_All these people,_ she thought in shock, _there won't be enough time to get them all out._

She was jolted out of inaction by a loud voice saying, "Hey, come on, let's go, lady!"

Rani looked over at the speaker and found herself next to the tall, handsome man that had been trying to break into the storage room. She staggered back away from him as she realized who he was.

"Listen, lady, there's no time, this place is going down!"

She made no move, again frozen, but this time by indecision. _I can't trust this guy, but then what other choice do I have?_

Atton made the decision for her by grabbing her upper arm and pulling her along. _Geesh, what a bimbo!_

The man's behavior angered Rani, and she pulled her arm violently from his grasp, "I can walk by myself, thank you," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes flashing.

"Well, you can speak after all."

Rani ignored him and instead, they took off running toward the docking bays.

--------------------

At some point, Carth must have fallen asleep in the patient facility room were he had sat down to rest, because he was abruptly awakened by the emergency alarms.

Force, not again! 

As he stood up, chaos ensued. As he paused to figure out what he could do to help, a stab of panic shot through him.

Where was Rani?

He had no idea how he was to find her in the masses of terrified people. He didn't know why, but he jogged down a hallway, away from the docking bays. Amazingly he saw her, turning a corner running right towards him. Carth rushed to her side and didn't even notice the tall man beside her who promptly kept running after he realized that Carth was there for her. Carth and Rani's eyes met, and both could see the relief on each other's faces that they had found each other. He took her hand as he led her down a shortcut through the building. Screams echoed down the hallways, and Rani couldn't help but be horrified. Her fear made her want to drown in those shrieks. The only thing that allowed her to carry on was Carth by her side. They had almost made it out of the building, when an explosion blew the wall out beside them, and debris scattered across the floor. Rani lost her footing, twisted her ankle and fell to the ground. Carth bent to help her up, but she stopped him.

"The building's going to fall, go help them," she said, sobbing and pointing at the patients that were too sick to walk.

"I'm not leaving without you," Carth said. As he realized that those had been his last words to Morgana, anger rose inside of him and he immediately picked Rani up and threw her over his shoulder. He didn't stop or hesitate, ignoring the screams that erupted all around him, until he had Rani in the relative safety of the ship.

Rani stopped him before he ran out of the ship to try and save others. She grasped his hand. Her hand felt so small in his and his heart melted as he looked at her face.

"I'll be back, I promise."

--------------------------

They were in space now, and Rani didn't even know where they were going. The young girl that had previously made friends with Carth slept soundly in her lap, but Rani could find no peace. Every new tragedy brought her closer and closer to despair. She wished that she could talk to someone, but all of her friends seemed preoccupied. Igrayne was sleeping, Carina was helping Mical care for the survivors, Evy seemed to be having fun with the tall, good-looking man, and Carth was assisting Kevan in the cockpit. She was surrounded by people, but why did she feel so lonely?

Rani wandered aimlessly around the large medical ship...they were lucky that it had been kept in different quarter than the rest, otherwise it would have been demolished as well. She dragged her feet a little bit as she walked, weighed with the memory of recent events.

All the screams, blood, death...it got to a person. Got to them deep down in their soul...inflicting mental and emotional hurt. Rani wondered how the rest of the crew was faring. She felt a bit useless just walking around.

The closest part of the ship was the morgue, and she was certain that she didn't want to go there. Ever. She continued her walk until it led her to where all the patients were being treated. Carina and Mical were busy moving from one victim to another, ensuring their survival and that they were semi-comfortable.

The next thing she noticed was, even throughout the confusion, Carina was constantly looking back at Mical when he himself wasn't looking. The same went for Mical. This made Rani grin mischievously. She would have to do something about these two...

"Rani!" Carina called to her, seeing that her friend was awake. "Mind helping us?"

"Sure, no problem. What do you need?" Rani asked, moving towards her.

"We have some blankets over there, I need you to pass them out to everyone. Mical and I are a bit busy with making sure they stay alive...so we can't do it," Carina said, her eyes lighting up just with the mention of his name.

Rani smiled. "Yeah, okay. Sure thing."

After finishing her task of passing out blankets, she noticed that everyone seemed relatively relaxed and were asleep, or unconscious. Mical sat off to the side beside some sleeping patients, trying to get some rest even though his eyes would not close and he was pumped up on adrenaline, as everyone else was.

Carina sat across the room from him, her back to the wall, and she merely flipped through some lists, trying hard to not glance at the blonde man sitting across from her. Rani took a seat beside Carina.

"So?" Rani began.

"So what?" she replied, not looking up.

"So what's the deal with you and the cute blonde doctor?" Rani asked. She knew some of the story from Igrayne, but most of it had been theoretical.

"We were little more than colleagues long ago in medical school."

Rani looked unconvinced.

"_Really_. That's all."

"You know that you look to the right when you lie?" Rani told her. She'd always been good at reading people. Just like Destrik had been. _Force, do I miss him..._

"I'm not lying though!" she said in a hoarse whisper.

"I just don't see why—"

"Okay, maybe I'm lying...but I don't really think it matters what happened in the past. The chapter of my life is closed," Carina stated.

"Okay, well, can I at least hear what happened?" Rani asked eagerly.

Carina sighed and relented. "We were friends in medical school...maybe a little more than friends. But then he ended up taking a different path than I chose. He became one of the best doctors and soldiers that the Republic has. I don't know what happened, but we just drifted apart, I guess you could say...and that's that."

"That's it?" Rani asked expectantly.

Carina shrugged mysteriously. "Maybe, maybe not."

"Okay, spill," Rani ordered.

Carina looked into her eyes, and Rani could see the pain that was there.

"Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts? That every moment you aren't with them, you're thinking of them? Have you ever loved someone so much that you stop loving them altogether?"

Rani was stunned silent.

"I think I loved him...but he was too much of a risk."

"A risk to what?" Rani queried.

Carina stood up and quietly whispered, "To my heart," and walked away.

-------------------

Igrayne woke up feeling partially rested from her nap. With all that had happened, it was amazing she could catch a few hours in between to rest. She stretched and walked out of the port dormitory into the main hold, where the medical staff and patients were congregated. Evy had tried to institute some semblance of order by making pathways between each of the beds so that she could flit to and from one patient to the next. The system she devised seemed to be working for now. She even had Atton Rand handing out medical supplies with her.

_Well, at least he's not wearing a nurse's apron,_ Igrayne jokingly thought, savoring the funny image that thought conjured in her head.

"Back to the land of the living at last?" Carina asked as she bumped into her on her way to bring Evy some new gauze. Igrayne raised an eyebrow.

"Making yourself useful at last?"

Carina scowled but said nothing further. She and Igrayne always had a very easy rapport, so they knew not to take one another seriously.

Igrayne rubbed the sleep from her eyes and walked toward the cockpit where Kevan was seated at the controls. He flicked on a red switch as she came near and put some new coordinates into the navicomputer. Igrayne seated herself beside him, both hands folded in her lap.

"How are you holding up here?" she queried.

"Fine, for now," the Zabrak replied.

"Can I bring you anything?"

"No," came the Zabrak's clipped response. Like the soft technician, Kevan wasn't one for words. Zabraks usually weren't the talkative sort—not that she much minded. It was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet every so often in her busy, sometimes humdrum life as a nurse.

"Where are we headed?" Igrayne asked, letting her eyes skim over the ship's controls. She had a little knowledge of the workings of the ship, but very little in the area of how to read the instruments.

"Dantooine is as safe a place as any to put down. I've already sent word ahead to the landing platform. We've gotten clearance, so we're pretty much good to go."

"Don't tell me we're taking a field trip to the Jedi Enclave, Kevan. You're smarter than that," Igrayne said. "We might as well put a big, red mark on each of our foreheads saying, 'Come and get us!'"

Kevan chuckled good-naturedly. The horns that decorated his head were much longer than the young tech's, and he had a single wisp of hair pulled back into a topknot at the back of his head. He was a war veteran, like Admiral Onasi. But, unlike the Admiral, their heroes weren't decorated with titles, but tattoos. Even his tattoo markings seemed to tell tales of the inherent bravery and wisdom the Zabrak had.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Kevan replied quietly.

"Putting down in Dantooine will alert the Sith to our presence. I mean, the Jedi are the champions of the Republic, after all. What'd you expect, the Sith to extend a welcoming party to them? The Sith are going to destroy the last vestiges of the Old Republic in whatever way they can."

They were prohibited from speaking further as a tiny indicator sounded on Kevan's readout. He furrowed his brow and flicked on a few switches.

"How odd..."

In an instant, a minor explosion racked the cockpit, fizzling and hissing fire through the air. Kevan gave a slight scream as he was momentarily engulfed by the flames, then fell, head-first onto the controls. The ship began a downward spiral, gaining momentum with each passing moment.

Igrayne was panicking as she put her hand on the shoulder of the still Zabrak and tried to rouse him.

"Kevan?"

No answer. The ship continued its downward spiral, the engines kicking into overdrive. Igrayne was still puzzled as to what had just happened, but she knew that they also needed help...fast.

"Help!"

She looked over the instruments, trying to find some way to work the controls. Nothing was working. It would take years and patience to master a working knowledge of them, neither of which she had right now.

"What is it?" said a gruff voice behind her. She turned around to see Atton Rand standing behind her, craning his neck to take a look at the ship's controls.

"It's out of control! I can't stop it!" Igrayne said frantically, her voice a hysterical whine. Atton pushed her gently out of the way and seated himself at the cockpit, trying to ease Kevan respectfully out of his seat of command.

After a few moments, he had made his diagnosis.

"It was an electrical malfunction," he said. Igrayne was trembling from head to foot as though she had just been shocked with a bolt of white-hot energy through her body.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I say. Hold on, sister. This might get rough!"

Atton's hands clamped down on the controls, trying to plunge the ship out of its arc and back into a normal flight pattern. Even Evy had momentarily forgotten her duties and rushed up to the cockpit to see what was going on. Igrayne clutched her for fear of her life.

"You didn't tell me you knew how to fly this thing!" Evy said.

"I don't," Atton said truthfully.

_Well, that's reassuring. We're all going to die,_ Igrayne thought frantically. _At least he has a sense of humor about it._

"Be careful!" Evy screamed as Atton tried to maneuver the ship's mass around a few free-floating asteroids.

"I'm trying!" Atton groaned, already frustrated with her presence in the cockpit. His eyes scanned the readout, which was looking pretty grim. Then, his eyes caught sight of something in the distance.

"There's a planet up ahead. I'm going to try and put 'er down there."

Evy looked over their map and plotted trajectory, reading the words in Galactic Basic.

"Corellia?"

"Good enough."

Atton's hands clamped down on the controls as the planet edged closer. Admiral Onasi had stopped what he was doing and came up behind Atton to delegate orders, as he was accustomed to doing.

"Are you crazy? That's too wide of a berth to make it! We're coming in too hot!"

Atton clenched his teeth and glanced angrily at the Admiral.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Admiral."

They broke through the planet's atmosphere and were headed straight for the upper crust. Beautiful, sunny beaches lined the shores.

"Aim for the water!" Carth yelled, about ready to take the controls himself.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Atton screamed in response, both hands pressed on the lever, trying to draw the ship's thrust upward. The controls were hot to the touch, however, and he yelped when they burned his hands. He was lucky he had not been electrocuted like Kevan had by a bad motivator. The tech was going to hear an earful about this when they landed...if they made it.

The ship made contact with surprising ease, skidding over miles and miles of trees and woodland before coming to a fiery halt somewhere near the shore. The hull gave one final heave, tumbling everybody from their respective positions inside of the ship.

Igrayne opened her eyes moments later to find Atton draped across her legs. She kicked him once in the head to get him up.

"Ouch!" he complained.

"This is no time for sleeping!"

He muttered something inaudible, obviously not flattering to her, and removed himself from her legs. As everyone got up and organized themselves once again, Evy went about straightening out the fallen medical supplies, trying to set them in some semblance of order. When she had finished this, she glanced briefly at Atton, a smile planted upon her lips. The admiring glance in her eyes was momentarily disrupted by the loud coughing of a sickly patient. She immediately bustled over to help them, but the glance was not lost on Igrayne. She reminded herself to ask Evy about it sometime later, when they weren't running for their lives.

"Where are we?" Carina asked, rubbing the back of her neck as though it had just been sprained badly.

"I don't know," Carth said, his hand on the chair's back. Rani came up to stand beside him and look out the viewport. There, in front of them, was one of the most lush jungles they had ever seen.

"Welcome to Corellia, folks," Atton said feebly, a stupid smile on his lips.

-------------------

After the initial scrambling to make sure that all the survivors on the ship were all right, they gathered in the main hold to decide what their plan of action would be. Rani stood near one of the entrances to the crowded area, unsure of how to help. She was no technician, but it was obvious even to her that this ship was not going anywhere anytime soon.

"So, uh, what now?" Atton asked inanely.

Rani had learned the roughishy handsome man's name while observing Evy and him together. She had also learned that it would be harder than she previously thought to tell Evy about Atton's previous interest in what was behind the locked door to the storage room.

_She likes him,_ Rani thought wearily as she observed the small change in demeanor in Evy whenever Atton was around. Rani decided not to tell Evy for now. After all, it was hardly the appropriate time or place, and Atton pretty much just saved their lives.

"Well," Carth answered, "we're going to have to fix this ship."

"We will need parts," Bao-Dur said quietly. No one had spoken openly about the malfunction in the cockpit yet.

Rani's eyes drifted over to Igrayne, who stood leaning against the wall with red-rimmed eyes. Rani thought sadly about Kevan, who was currently in the medbay. Mical was doing everything in his power to try and save the Zabrak's life, but his chances for survival looked grim.

"We will also need food, water, and medical supplies," Evy started, "let's not forget we have a ship full of injured people here." They had been unprepared for the bombing on Iridonia, and had few provisions available on the ship.

"Has anyone figured out where we are?" Carina asked. "Where the nearest city is?"

With the vast ocean at their back and the dense forest in front of them, Rani had little hope that any form of civilization was near.

"We are but a couple days walking time from Coronet," Bao-Dur spoke up when no one else seemed to know.

"How did you…" Atton began to ask.

"Some of the ship's systems are still functional, and I was able to plot our position," Bao-Dur answered.

"All right, then," Admiral Onasi spoke up, taking charge, "we'll take a group to the capital city to get what parts and provisions we need, and then we'll have to find transportation to return us and the supplies back here. Bao-Dur, get me a list of all the parts we'll need to get this ship up and running. Evy, you do the same for the medical supplies, and Carina, you check our food and water levels."

Everyone scurried off to perform their assigned tasks while Carth turned to Atton. Initially, he had been distrustful of the scoundrel, but Carth had newfound respect for the guy after his actions in the cockpit.

"Atton, you start gathering what we'll need for our trek to Coronet."

"_Our_ trek?" Atton asked, the characteristic smirk fled from his face.

"Yes, you're coming with me. I'll also have to decide who else is coming with us."

"Do you have any idea what that jungle out there is like?" Atton complained.

Carth simply gave Atton an authoritative look.

"Oh, all right, Admiral," Atton submitted and trudged away to get prepared.

Rani found herself alone in the hold with Carth and Igrayne.

_Poor Igrayne,_ she thought, _the incident with Kevan is taking a toll on her_. Rani wanted to comfort the nurse, but before she could approach her, Igrayne walked away toward the medbay.

Rani instead turned to Carth, watching him study a map.

_Take care of yourself, soldier..._

-------------------

Igrayne entered the medical bay with a solemn look upon her face, as she watched for a moment as Mical tended to Kevan.

"How's he doing?" she asked quietly, and Mical looked up at her.

"His injuries are…extensive…" he said, frowning. "He's suffered some third degree burns to his hands, face, and torso, and his body is in shock. I've managed to stabilize him for the time being, but I fear that without the proper medical supplies, he won't last long."

Igrayne looked even more somber as Mical finished speaking, and her gaze fell to Kevan's motionless body on the bed.

"But if we can get more supplies, he still has a chance of survival, right?" Igrayne asked, looking hopefully at Mical.

"Well, I can't guarantee anything, but getting him proper medical attention would certainly boost his chances of recovery…" he paused for a moment, regarding Igrayne sympathetically.

"Do you know him?"

She nodded grimly. "Yes… I served with him years ago. He's an acquaintance of mine. I just want him to be all right…"

"Well, you mustn't lose hope just yet," said Mical comfortingly. "He still has a chance, and hope is a dangerous thing to lose in times of need."

Igrayne managed to give a slight smile before exiting the room. She wasn't quite sure if she believed him, but she appreciated his words of comfort nonetheless.

"Thank you, Mical."

Mical focused his attention back upon the injured Zabrak, and Igrayne left the medbay, heading straight to the garage, where she was sure to find Bao-Dur. Knowing him, he was undoubtedly going on the trek with Carth and Atton to find the nearest city. And whether he approved of it or not, she was going with him.

-------------------------

As Evy made a list of all of the needed medical supplies, she caught a glimpse of Atton out of the corner of her eye. The scoundrel appeared to be packing a small bag full of equipment…

What in the blazes is he doing? 

"Going somewhere?" she asked, momentarily looking up from the medical supplies to meet his gaze.

"Uh… yeah," said Atton, slightly distracted as he dropped a few bottles of water into his bag. "Apparently, the Admiral and I are going on a little adventure through the jungle to find some provisions and parts. Just my luck…"

Evy's eyes lit up at the sound of an adventurous trek through the woods, and she immediately became attentive.

"Who else is going?" she asked, trying to mask her interest. Atton was apparently too busy to notice as he continued gathering supplies.

"As far as I know, it's just me and the admiral. Oh, and maybe that Zabrak tech."

"So, none of the women are going?"

"Not that I know of," said Atton, as he stopped packing for a moment to look at her. "Why? You planning on joining us? I don't think the admiral would be too pleased to have any women along for the ride."

"And why is that?" asked Evy, crossing her arms defensively.

Atton shrugged. "I dunno… he probably figures that it's too dangerous."

"Well, he's wrong," she stated firmly, shaking her head in disbelief.

Atton gave a sardonic laugh as he continued to observe her. "So, what, you think you can actually contribute to this trek? You should stay here… it's dangerous out there, and you might break a nail or something…"

Evy's eyes narrowed as she made her way over to Atton.

The nerve of him! 

"I'll have you know that I am more than capable of going on this trek, despite the fact that I'm a woman. I think you'd be surprised," she said, and Atton could see the fire burning in her eyes.

"What are you gonna do?" he mocked, "You gonna hope that nothing's going to happen to you because you're a girl, and that the men will protect you the whole time? No offense, but your pretty face isn't going to do you any good out there…"

"I have… training," said Evy proudly, purposely being elusive. "I can take care of myself. Without the help of any men, mind you."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to break it to you, babe, but your medical training isn't going to help much if we get ambushed in the middle of the jungle of mystery…"

"I'm not talking about medical training," said Evy, clearly becoming frustrated. "I've been trained in battle, you ignorant nerfherder."

Atton seemed rather intrigued by her comment and he looked down at her, as his eyebrows raised in interest.

"Oh yeah? And what sort of training would that be?"

"That's none of your business," snapped Evy. "But I'll have you know that I'm going with you guys…whether the admiral approves or not."

Atton laughed, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Have it your way, but I highly doubt that he's going to want his lead nurses leaving the facility. You're probably better off here, and I have a feeling that he's going to refuse your offer."

"We'll see about that… just watch me."

Evy finished writing up her list of supplies before she stormed into the main hold, looking determined. Atton followed suit, as he seemed to be interested in how the admiral would react to her request. Carth was in the middle of talking to Bao-Dur and Igrayne, but she didn't care. As they continued chatting, Evy cleared her throat, gaining his attention. Carth turned to face her with a somewhat irritated expression upon his face, but when he saw that she was a nurse, his expression turned amicable.

"Yes? Ah, do you have the list of supplies that I requested?" he asked.

Not bothering with formalities, Evy got straight to the point.

"Yes… I have the list, Admiral Onasi, but I would like to request that I aid you and the men on the trek into the jungle. I believe that my medical skills and my other areas of training can be of assistance."

Carth looked hesitant about answering her as he shook his head.

"You're actually the second request from a nurse that I've received in the last five minutes," he said, gesturing toward Igrayne, who was also looking very determined. "I appreciate the interest from the medical staff, but I don't believe that it's your place…"

"I'm sorry to seem to persistent, sir," started Evy, as Atton rolled his eyes, "but I believe I could aid you on the trek a great deal more than I could here on the ship. After all, there is very little we can do here without the proper medical supplies…"

"I agree with her," said Igrayne as she came to stand by her friend. "There are still more than enough nurses on staff, and our training would be of more help on the trek. Besides, you need someone with medical training in case any of you become injured. I assure you that we can both look after ourselves."

Igrayne didn't seem to notice it, but Bao-Dur was regarding her with an expression of what appeared to be a mix of admiration and concern.

_Good for them!_ Thought Evy happily, _Perhaps I can do a little matchmaking if Carth allows us to come along with him…_

Carth still looked uncertain as he glanced from one woman to the other, apparently struggling with his decision. At long last, he released a sigh, giving in to his better judgment.

"I'll allow the two of you to come with us, but I want to stress the fact that this trip could be very dangerous. I have no doubt that the two of you can hold your own, but you'll both be taking a very big risk."

The two women exchanged glances before Igrayne spoke up.

"It's a risk that we'll both be willing to take for the sake of our patients, Admiral," said Igrayne proudly.

"You won't be disappointed, sir," added Evy as she stole a glance at Atton, who didn't look remotely pleased with Carth's decision.

"We're leaving in a few minutes," said Carth, glancing at his wrist chrono. "Pack what you need and meet me back in the main hold as soon as possible."

As Igrayne and Bao-Dur retreated back to the garage, Evy walked over to Atton with a smug expression upon her face.

"See? I told you he'd reason with me," she bragged as she gave him a forceful shove.

"Yeah, yeah…" said Atton, waving her off. "You're either really brave or really crazy. I'm just not sure which one it is..."


	4. Jungle Trek and The Lucky Cannok

Rani watched as one by one, more people joined this trek into the jungle...and she felt left out, plain and simple. Practically all the women were leaving with most of the males, with the exception of Carina, who decided to stay back and help Mical out with taking care of the patients and Kevan. She quickly decided on a course of action and sprinted to her room, grabbed some stuff, and quickly ran back to where everyone was gathered.

Carth noticed her small backpack. "Oh no...not you too. This is where I'm afraid I'm going to have to draw the line. You're still injured and I don't believe it's very good for you to go—"

"If you're worried about me slowing you down, I won't." The Admiral looked unconvinced. "And besides, I could always be used to slow down the predators and what not."

Carth took her seriously for a moment before realizing she was joking, and he let out a soft chuckle. "All right, then. You may come...but for the love of the Force, don't get hurt anymore. And be careful."

Rani saluted him. "Will do, sir!"

Carth rolled his eyes and the rest of the women of the trek giggled. They all could tell that both the Admiral and Rani had something going. They always seemed to be flirting. Rani looked at Carth as he lowered the docking ramp.

"Well, here we go," he breathed.

"You act like we're going on a suicide mission," Atton stated before quickly adding, "We aren't right?"

"Oh, don't worry, Atton...I'll be here to protect you from the big scary monsters!" Evy teased. He glared at her and stood taller. She just rolled her eyes.

Igrayne giggled and added, under her breath, "And I'll be here to make sure you two don't tackle each other to the ground and beat the living crap out of each other..."

They began their trek into the densely forested area right outside of Coronet. From space, the jungle was immensely green and overpopulated with a variety of different species of creatures. All of them had to admit that it was refreshing being out in the wilderness and fresh air again...especially after being cooped up in a ship and facility for so long with dying men, women, and children.

But for now, everything seemed peaceful and quiet. That was until...

"Atton Rand!" Evy shrieked.

"What! I didn't do anything!" Atton snickered. "It wasn't me..."

"Yeah right! I'm gonna kill you!" Evy sloshed about in the mud she had "accidentally" tripped into, in a futile effort to get up.

"Oh, calm down. I didn't do anything," Atton replied coolly.

The rest of the trek turned back to look at the two.

"Don't look at me! She slipped!" Atton said defensively.

Evy slipped and fell deeper into the pit of mud and slosh. "Damn right I tripped! You tripped me!"

Atton held back a grin. "Now, come now, babe...why would I do that?"

She glared at him and he relented and took a step towards her.

"You two behave now!" Igrayne called to them, winking at them and snickering behind her hand.

Evy rolled her eyes and Atton offered a hand to her. Bad mistake.

Within moments, Atton was beside Evy in the pool of mud and dirt, cursing vehemently. Evy was laughing hysterically and devilishly. The whole crew was nearly in stitches themselves seeing the nurse drag the scoundrel into the mud. Evy just grinned triumphantly and thought, _Revenge is oh so sweet_. She chuckled as Atton lifted himself out of the mud and she finally regained her own balance and stood.

"Sorry, Atton...but you had it coming," Evy said, wiping the mud from her face.

"Oh yeah?" Atton said angrily, wiping the mud from his beloved jacket. And to think he'd just had it dry-cleaned too.

Evy laughed. "Oh, you know you did have it coming."

"Maybe you're right..." Atton said, before adding, "And maybe you had this coming."

Within seconds, Atton's mouth was on Evy's, kissing her passionately. She was completely dumbstruck...so much so, she didn't even say anything once he released her from the passionate kiss, leaving her with a feeling of desire for the scoundrel. Damn him! She cursed him in her mind, but hadn't the voice to say anything else. He just grinned triumphantly and walked off arrogantly.

The rest of the crew was also stunned into silence and turned away as if they forest had suddenly become the most interesting place in the world. Some even managed to whistle innocently...as if nothing had happened at all.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Atton called to them from the front of the pack. "Get a move on, people!"

The rest followed, and Evy avoided Atton for the rest of the trek...which was a lot of willpower on her part...

-----------------------------------------

"Can you hand me that water bottle?"

"Of course."

"And that towel."

"No problem."

"Oh, and that thermometer...I believe she may have a fever."

"As you wish."

That was the basis of conversation between Mical and Carina. Carina had desperately tried to keep her mind on other tasks and not on Mical. It helped that much was needed to be done around the ship...keeping her busy. When she did talk to Mical, she said very little...and he responded with very little. Maybe the feelings between them had disappated over the years...and yet, deep down, she knew they hadn't.

"How is she?"

"Fine."

"No fever?"

"Nope."

"I see...well, if you need any help—"

"I'll be sure to call you."

Mical said nothing and returned his attention to helping more patients. Kevan was a hopeless case...even for one as skilled as he. He had slipped into a coma, one that he would not be waking up from. Mical didn't feel that it would be necessary to tell Igrayne that he wasn't doing well...it would make her lose hope. Something they all need. If need be, perhaps he'd ask Carina to talk to her friend about the Zabrak.

"We're out of antibiotics over here."

"I believe I may have some spares...but we will not have enough if we don't get to Coronet soon."

"They will die, won't they?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me, Mical."

"You would not like the answer I have to give you."

And so silence fell between them again. It'd been like this since the trekkers had left. Hope seemed to be diminishing by the hour—and she still had her personal demons to face. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore and act indifferent to Mical. He was her weakness...for her one tremendous weakness was her heart. The one thing that she really had no control over.

Not to mention the fact that now she was alone on a ship with just him...and no one to watch her or her actions...and that was a temptation all in itself...

----------------

After Evy and Atton's amorous little display in the midst of the Corellian jungle, Igrayne knew that her own feelings for the Zabrak tech were growing increasingly harder to deny. It was as though all the pent-up emotions from the last five years were finally bubbling to the surface, leaving her confused and bewildered in their wake.

Admiral Onasi had a personal communicator out and was receiving direction from someone on the other line toward the city of Coronet. She supposed it was some kind of operator or something, from the way the voice barked out vapid commands over the comm's frequency. It had a shrill kind of voice that grated on her nerve, and apparently Carth's nerve too, for it looked like half the time he simply wanted to shut the thing off entirely.

That, in itself, would have been disastrous. She couldn't stand the thought of spending another minute around Atton Rand and his wisecracking comments. Sure, Evy seemed to think he was all right, but she had rethought her decision to let him join them ever since. At first she had extended herself to him simply out of charity; now, she was regretting the moment she'd ever suggested he come along. He was proving more than a simple distraction to Evy...and impairing her judgment in such a time could be...dangerous.

Carth looked at his wrist chrono and waved his hand to signal the procession to stop.

"We take five," he said.

Igrayne was grateful for the break time; her feet were already beginning to ache from the long trek over land. Sure, running back and forth in a medical facility kept her in fine shape, but she was still winded from the exertion of meeting with such resistance while walking.

She sat down on a log overlooking the beautiful seascape, bracing both hands on her knees. All around her, the others were unloading their packs, similarly grateful to be resting for a moment.

She began lacing up her hide boots. She felt the presence of another approaching from behind and turned to see the Zabrak tech, a metallic remote buzzing around his head with excitement. She had not noticed the droid before now, but it seemed useful enough, if not critical, to have along on the ride.

"Are you all right?" Bao-Dur asked quietly, stalking gracefully toward her. There was something about his presence, and the way he talked, that calmed her. Just being near him infused her with happiness.

"Just catching my breath," Igrayne said, knotting the laces before turning to look at him, one hand on each knee. Bao-Dur gave her as close to a smile as he could manage and took the seat beside her. Even the remote circled his head excitedly, lights spinning and beeping.

"Friend of yours?" Igrayne queried nonchalantly. Bao-Dur looked at her over his shoulder.

"That thing? I built him when I was a kid. I'm stuck with him. Or, should I say, he's stuck with me."

Igrayne fought back the urge to smile at that comment.

"There are worse problems than having a tag-along droid. You know, famine, death, destruction..."

"Then you've obviously not had a droid for a pet," Bao-Dur replied straight-faced. Igrayne burst out with laughter.

"It can't be all bad."

The remote whirred excitedly.

"The General was just teasing you," Bao-Dur said sharply to the little droid, to shut it up for the moment. "No need to worry."

"Sensitive little fellow, isn't he?" Igrayne asked.

"A little too much, if you ask me," Bao-Dur replied. "He's useful, though. Helps me out with repairs, keeps me company on long, boring space voyages."

"What, no significant other to share that duty with?" Igrayne shot back.

"I can only assume you mean a female companion?" Bao-Dur surmised. Igrayne smiled at the tentative way in which he said this, and the slight blush that accentuated his cheeks.

"Yes, I meant a female companion."

Bao-Dur rolled his shoulders in a shrug as if he didn't know quite how to answer that.

"There is no one of that kind."

"Oh," Igrayne replied.

_How unfortunate...or fortunate, depending..._

But their conversation was stalled by the appearance of Admiral Onasi.

"Break's over. We're on the move again."

Igrayne gave a groan of utter frustration. Just when she had been opening up to the Zabrak. Well, at least things were looking better for their party; she could already see the spires of the Corellian buildings towering ten stocks above the trees and foliage.

At last, they were nearing Coronet.

------------------------

Rani was breathless, disheartened, frustrated, and her ankle was throbbing.

_Why did I do this again?_

Oh yeah, because I can't stand to be left out of the loop and I always bite off more than I can chew!

Well, that and Carth… 

Her mind snapped back to the present as she nearly tumbled over an exposed tree root. Carth's head turned just in time to watch her regain her footing. She didn't look back at him, because she was embarrassed, and she had promised that she wouldn't slow them down. She felt so inadequate on this trek, everyone else was strong and skilled and she was just… well just slow. It didn't help her morale any that after the whole Atton kissing Evy thing, Carth and Rani had completely stopped flirting because they felt so awkward.

Now how am I supposed to tell Evy about the storage room incident? I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on Atton myself! 

_Oh, and how are you going to do that, you stupid girl?_ another part of her argued, _you can't even avoid tripping!_

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed her party had stopped. She walked right into the back of Carth. He turned around, quickly catching her before she could fall to the ground. They stared at each other, his arms still wrapped firmly around her, their faces mere inches from each other. Rani's heart was practically jumping out of her chest.

_He smells so good,_ she thought, _even after an entire day of trekking through the woods, he smells amazing._

Carth held her gaze, and then his eyes flitted to her lips, before returning to longingly gaze into her eyes again.

"Would ya look at that."

The moment was interrupted, and Rani could've killed Atton she was so irritated. Carth straightened her out and released her before stepping back and turning his eyes to the sight Atton had commented on. Rani continued to watch Carth for a couple more seconds before she directed her attention to what everyone else was intently observing.

There was a break in the trees forming a clearing in front of them. Past the clearing lay the Jewel of Corellia: the city of Coronet. The city was beautiful with grand, striking architecture. It was breathtaking against the backdrop of the vibrant setting sun.

-----------------

It was the moment Carina had been dreading. The replacement nurse had come to let her know that her shift was over. Sure she was tired, but how could she sleep thinking about how her and Mical's relationship ended up.

_We've been reduced to almost not talking at all,_ she thought sadly.

_Isn't this what you wanted?_ she questioned herself.

Not what I wanted, what I thought I had to do… 

She made it to the small dorm room that had been assigned to her. She shut the door and palmed the lock, intending to change into her nightclothes and attempt sleep before she realized her clothes were not in the room.

_Frack, I left my bag in the cargo hold._

On her way back from the cargo hold, her bag in tow, she saw a dorm room with the door open. Curious, she glanced inside as she walked by, only to be frozen in place by what she saw. Mical was taking off his shirt. As he pulled it off, she could see the toned muscles in his back flex.

Oh Force… 

He tossed the shirt at the foot of his bed, and then stopped and stood completely still.

Run! Go! Force, leave before he sees you! 

Mical slowly turned around to face her. They stood like that, watching each other, glued in place. Carina used every bit of self-control she had left not to look down at his toned torso.

"Carina," Mical whispered.

The pain in which he said her name almost wrenched her heart out. This man obviously still loved her.

Her self-control ran out, and she dropped her gaze to the floor to prevent herself from staring at him any longer.

"I…I need…I need to go," she stammered.

"Wait!"

Not now, please not now, I can't say no to you… 

"Please," Mical continued, "I just want to let you know that I'm sorry."

Her eyes flew to his face. Sorry? What did he have to be sorry for?

Her confusion must have been apparent on her face, because he answered her.

"I am really trying to abide by your wishes."

She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I am trying to not be…a distraction, as I believe you put it," Mical stated. His face mirrored his sincerity.

He walked toward her, meeting her in the hallway.

"I'm sorry if it is not enough, but I am trying my best," he said softly.

He stopped in front of her, not too close, but close enough to have a dizzying effect on Carina.

_Those eyes, they always had that effect on me,_ she thought, her resolve plummeting.

In that moment, all she desired was to lead Mical into his room, close the door, and kiss him with as much passion as was steaming up inside of her…

-------------------

Back in the woods, away from the passion in the ship, they had all quickened their pace. All they wanted was to get the supplies and save some lives.

"Do we know anyone in Coronet that can help us in getting all the supplies we need?" Igrayne questioned the whole group as they neared the city. They could now see it in between the trees.

Everyone was silent to her question. Sighing with disappointment, she muttered, "I guess that means a 'no.'"

"We could always go and ask around in a cantina, there's bound to be someone who can help us," Atton suggested helpfully, scratching the back of his head.

"It's worth a try," Carth said with a shrug.

The rest of the trek was silent. They were all thinking of the poor souls in the downed ship, except for Atton, who was thinking about the kiss he gave Evy.

The arrival in Coronet was one received with many heavy sighs. They were tired from the trek through the forest and they still had a lot ahead of them. It was getting late, so they headed towards one of the cantinas in the street, titled _The Lucky Cannok._

One after the other they all entered the cantina and fanned out, asking questions and occasionally flashing a credit chip to loosen someone's lips.

As they were interrogating the patrons a fight erupted at one of the sabaac tables. The two players, who had beaten all the other players, were discussing vigorously, with shouts and hollers and threatening fists, but no blow was delivered. One of the players, a female human with a brown fedora atop her head, was accusing the other player, a male human with a typical smuggler outfit, of cheating, and he was denying it.

Carth turned away from the spectacle and to the Rodian he was talking to. "You know of anyone who might be able to get a hold of large quantities of medical equipment?" he asked.

The Rodian was quiet, but he had a thoughtful expression. With a sigh, Carth pulled out his last bit of credits. The Rodian smiled and pointed at the Sabaac table.

"Indy is the one you're looking for."

Handing over the credits with a frustrated sigh, he headed over to the table. The others followed him, but by his stance they knew it was no use asking around anymore.

"Which one of you two is Indy?" Carth asked the two who were now exchanging curse words. The argument stopped and they both looked up and said at the same time,

"Who's askin'?"

The female elbowed the male in the chest violently with a mild glare.

"Carth Onasi," Carth said with another frustrated sigh. He was getting sick of all these questions.

"Make yourself comfortable." She said and motioned for the empty chairs around the table. Everyone seated themselves as the female shouted at the bartender for more drinks for all of them. As the drinks came, the female looked at all of them.

"Indy at your service," the one they now knew as Indy said.

Carth jettisoned it all out, about the bombing on Iridonia and their crash landing. At the end of the tale, five drinks had been consumed by Atton, Indy, and the unnamed male. The rest were still working on their first.

"So, what do you want from me then...?"

Carth looked at Indy sincerely, as he completely ignored that drinks that were constantly being set before him.

"We need large quantities of medical supplies," said Carth wearily. "I was told that you might be able to help us."

Indy chugged down another drink before setting it back down on the table firmly.

"Sure, I can help you…and since I'm such a noble and heroic sort of gal, I won't charge you nearly as much as I would a normal associate."

Carth seemed somewhat relieved, but was still a bit uneasy about doing business with smugglers. Something inside of him was telling him that this woman could be trusted, however…

"So, is it a deal?" asked Indy, as she extended a hand for Carth to shake.

The Admiral hesitated for a moment as he glanced around the table, looking for encouragement from the other members of his crew. The majority of them nodded in approval, looking at Carth sincerely… that is, everyone except for Atton, who was apparently becoming slightly inebriated as he caught the eyes of several females scattered throughout the room, oblivious to what was occurring at the table.

Carth sighed heavily before finally shaking Indy's hand, sealing the deal.

"It's a deal," stated the Admiral. "But if you don't follow through with your end of this agreement, the consequences will be—"

"What are you gonna do about it?" piped the unknown man whom Indy was arguing with earlier. He straightened up in his seat, leaning forward imposingly.

"And just who are you?" asked Igrayne, finally speaking up.

The man swelled visibly, as he proudly puffed out his chest.

"The name's Solo… Han Solo. Fastest pilot in the galaxy."

"Oh, please…" said Evy, rolling her eyes. "Save it for someone who cares."

"Hey, watch it missy!"

"Wait a second…" said Igrayne, as she held a hand up to Evy to prevent her from letting out any more offensive comments. "We could use a new navigator until Kevan is well again."

She frowned slightly, remembering her injured friend, but she looked to Carth hopefully. The Admiral still looked skeptical.

"What are you getting at?" asked Han, glancing from Carth to Igrayne.

"Don't you think it might be a good idea to have an extra pilot on hand?" she asked.

"Oh, no, Igrayne… not again!" exclaimed Evy, looking frustrated. "Don't you think we have the assistance of enough cantina-dwelling smugglers?"

"What, are you worried that he's gonna push you in the mud and kiss you in the middle of the jungle, too?" teased Igrayne, as she folded her arms, and several people at the table gave a laugh. "You of all people shouldn't be complaining, as you seem to be enjoying Atton's company ."

"Now, ladies…" started Carth, in attempt to stop Igrayne's teasing. "We're getting off topic here…"

Evy opened up her mouth to defend herself, but no words came out as she felt heat rising into her face in embarrassment. She risked a glance towards Atton, who merely grinned at her, still looking incredibly smug. Obviously flustered, Evy excused herself from the table and headed off to the nearest 'fresher.

"So, what do you say, Admiral?" asked Igrayne, as everyone settled once again.

Carth spoke quietly, lowering his voice as he leaned in close to Igrayne. "I'm not so sure about this…I mean, how do we know we can trust him?"

"He seems reliable enough," countered Igrayne. "I can… sense things about people. And after all, it will only be temporary. He can take shifts with Atton until Kevan is well again."

_That is, if he gets well again…_ she thought bitterly.

Carth released another sigh, once again giving into his better judgment as he looked to Han.

"If you're interested…" he started, "we could use another pilot as a temporary replacement. We'll pay you well, if you're willing to help us."

Han seemed to consider it for a moment as he glanced at Indy, who seemed indifferent.

"Sure, I'll help you," he said, flashing a pearly white smile.

"Whoa, hold on there," said Indy, as her eyes narrowed at Han. "You're not going anywhere without me! We're in this together, remember?"

"So, you can just come with me," Han stated simply. "That all right with you, Admiral?"

Carth shrugged. He supposed that one more addition to the crew wouldn't hurt, smugglers or not…and he had the feeling that Indy would find a way to tag along with them, despite his approval. Maybe the woman could be of aid to them.

"Sure, whatever…" he said, rather indifferently. "Just as long as you don't cause any trouble."

Indy grinned smugly, as she jabbed Han in the ribs. "No trouble at all."

Their trip to Coronet was certainly becoming an interesting and unexpected one. Not only had they found connections for medical supplies, but they had picked up two new crew members. Now, if only they could be as fortunate with finding parts for their ship…

"So, the deal is, you've got all these people needing medical attention and all that stuff, but your ship is completely scrapped?" Indy said with a raised eyebrow. Han shook his head.

"You should forget the ship, the expenses will probably be enormous," he said.

Indy nodded. "You should just transfer the patients to some hospital and get another ship," she suggested.

Carth wore a thoughtful expression. The two smugglers, or the smuggler and the archaeologist as Indy had informed him, did have a point. The wounded would have it better in a hospital than a ship.

"We should head back and tell them about the plan, because that ship is scrapped, we don't have the credits to repair it," Carth said with a sigh.

Igrayne frowned. "But do we have the credits to buy one?"

"You don't need the money," Indy stated with a smirk. Everyone except Han turned to her. "Come on! Both me an' Han travel the spaceways, and you think we don't have a ship? We can use the _Centurion's Blade_ to move the wounded refugees and haul us across the galaxy."

Carth nodded. "Good idea."

--------------------------

Soon after the whole situation with the survivors of Telos was sorted out and they were all moved to the Coronet Medical Facility, everyone had a little down time. They were relieved of their duty there...for they were only used for Emergency Medical procedures, so now they had to decide what it was they'd do next.

The tension between the members of the so called "crew" was continually building, and was near eruption. One small thing could burst the bubble, so to speak. Most tried to ignore each other as they sat in the small visitor/worker lounge in the large hospital...

The women had gathered into a small group on one side of the decent sized room, and the men had sauntered to the other. Whispers ran rampant throughout each side of the tension-filled room.

"So I heard you took a little dive with Atton," Carina said, giggling.

"Shut up."

"And I also heard that you did more than just play in the mud—" Carina winked at her and she glared.

"Shut up!"

"Locking lips with our new scoundrel already, are we?"

The rest of the girls giggled.

"SHUT UP!" Evy cried, gaining looks from the men on the other side of the room. Carth looked over and glimpsed Rani sitting casually, comfortable with her friends. Mical also looked over, locking eyes with Carina for a moment that didn't last long enough in his opinion.

Igrayne laughed at Evy's frustration.

"Well, at least I get some action, unlike you!" Evy snapped at her.

"What do you mean?" Igrayne asked, perplexed.

"Like you don't know." Evy rolled her eyes. "You and that Zabrak tech seem to have some passion simmering beneath the surface, if you know what I mean."

This earned a cacophony of laughter from every other girl.

"I…I...I don't know what you're talking about!" Igrayne defended, blushing beet red.

"Sure..." Rani snickered.

Igrayne turned to her, eager to take the pressure off herself. "And what about you?"

"What about me? My fiancée just died," Rani threw out, trying to douse the heat of an argument out before it started.

"Yeah...and already you're hooking up with the Admiral?"

Rani blushed and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"You must really have a thing for military guys," Carina added.

"And you must have a thing for doctors, don't you?" Rani shot back, pleased with herself as to the response she earned from Carina. It was similar to that of getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar.

"I...what?" Carina squeaked.

"Uh-huh. If all of you don't know...Carina has a certain infatuation for a certain blonde doctor."

Rani winked at Carina, who instinctively looked at Mical by complete accident and then covered her mouth in shock. The girls once again erupted in laughter.

"Good job, Rani. Sometimes Carina keeps to herself...too much, if you know what I mean," Igrayne stated, giggling uncontrollably.

"I..I..." Carina couldn't even form a complete sentence, which just helped to fuel the laughing fire of the girls.

_Revenge is oh so sweet_, Rani thought to herself, loving the perplexed and embarrassed look on Carina's face...priceless...

-----------------

Evy, Indy, Igrayne, and Carina were speaking quietly about where they should head to next on the _Centurion's Blade_. Rani listened sullenly as they discussed where in the galaxy their medical aid could be most useful.

_What use could I be to the crew?_ Rani thought to herself miserably, _I have no combat, technical, or medical skills…I would only be a burden to them._

She glanced around the room, looking for someone to talk to. Everyone was busy. Even Carth hadn't looked at her for a while, because he was engrossed in conversation with the other men.

Rani thought back to their visit to the cantina where they had met Indy and Han. The man in charge of the dancers had been staring at her the entire time she was there.

_How could he tell that I was a dancer?_ She thought wonderingly. _Well, I guess recruiting is part of his job…_

Rani made the decision in a flash. She would go back to _The Lucky Cannok_ and speak to the man. He would undoubtedly give her the job, she was sure of it by the way he had shown so much interest in her, and her dancing skills were one of the only things she was entirely confident about.

Rani glanced sadly around. She had only known these people for a short time, but already she knew she would not have the heart to face saying goodbye to them. She didn't even bother to gather to take anything with her, after all, she had nothing.

She immediately walked out of the room, and made her way into the dark night of Corellia…

-------------------

Carina, preoccupied with avoiding Mical at all costs, quickly snuck out of the room and down the hallway...luckily, finding a secluded balcony area that overlooked a nice part of Coronet. The planet was quite amazing.

She noticed a small figure moving below her, slowly and dragging their feet almost. She peered closer and noticed it was Rani. _What in the blazes is she doing down there...and all alone? Unless...oh no!_

Carina rushed downstairs and burst through the doors, running towards the spot where she'd last spotted Rani. She managed to catch up with her a few minutes later, she had been moving slowly, and unfortunately for the both of them, she didn't stop in time...

_WHAM._

"What in Force's name—!" Rani cried out.

"Sorry!" Carina quickly apologized. "What're you doing out here? Where were you going?

Rani sighed. "Don't worry about me...I might see you later...sometime..."

"Whoa, you aren't thinking of leaving, are you?" Carina asked, feeling suddenly as if she was being watched.

"Well...I really don't have anything to aid you guys...and I—" She paused and looked around. "Did you feel that?"

"Like something was watching you?"

"Yeah. That."

"I did too...we should probably head back. And don't worry, Rani, you're not a burden...you merely need a bit of training, that's all." Carina grinned mischievously at her. "I'm sure the Admiral would help you out there..."

"Oh, shut up already," was Rani's reply.

Once she had Rani safely inside the hospital again, Carina's protective anger exploded.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

"I…"

"GOING OUT ALL ALONE LIKE THAT?"

"Well…"

Carina and Rani made it back to the lounge. Everyone could hear Carina's tirade. Rani was thoroughly embarrassed as everyone stared at them quizzically.

"Look, I told you I didn't want to be a burden. I am so useless around here."

Carina just glared at her.

"I…I have no one, no family, n—"

"And what are we…CHOPPED GIZKA?" Carina shrieked, her eyes blazing.

Carth immediately got out of his chair, looked at Rani with an infuriated glare, and stormed out of the room.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE Y—"

Evy stepped in between the two women, stopping Carina before she could finish.

"Let me handle this," Evy said softly.

Carina simply grunted angrily before plopping down into the nearest chair.

"Did you really try to leave?" Evy asked calmly.

"All the others that you found on Telos are staying here…"

"It's not about that, Rani," Igrayne began, walking over and putting her arm around the younger woman's shoulders, "you are our friend and part of our crew now."

"And don't worry, we'll find plenty of ways to put you to work," Evy said playfully.

Carina's eyes softened visibly, but she stayed seated with her arms crossed over her chest. _Thinking she can just abandon us…hmph._

There was a pause as everyone was still focused on the drama that had occurred.

"Well," Indy started to break the silence, "I guess we should find a place to spend the night."

"Can't we just stay in the hospital?" Igrayne asked.

Carth shook his head. "They're already more than full with the survivors we brought them. It would be pushing our luck to ask them to lodge us."

Everyone else nodded in agreement and Indy pondered for a moment. "Wait, I know a place that might just work..."

"Hotel? Motel? Lodge?" Rani asked.

"Bar?" Atton asked sarcastically and insultingly.

"Shut up, Rand," Evy snapped from her safe position behind Carina. No way Rand was catching her off guard again.

Carth sighed. "Well, whatever we intend to do...we better do it soon. Night is falling, and Corellia is not the friendliest planet in the system."

----------------------------------

"This place is trash!" Carina protested.

"Hey! This is a safe place...you should be thankful!" Indy said. "Hmph, trash!"

"All right, well at least we'll have our own rooms—" Carina noticed the look she received from Indy. "Oh, don't tell me..."

"Well, it was practically filled up and I—" Indy began. "But hey! At least we'll be safe and inside!"

Everyone let out a collective sigh.

"Stop being babies, the lot of you, and come inside," Indy said, dragging, pushing, and prodding everyone inside.

There was a lot of mumbling as they filed into the small hotel and were assigned. By some weird strike of fate, everyone was assigned a room with the one other person that they would specifically not like to share a room with. Carth was bunking with Rani, Igrayne with Bao-Dur, and both couples were staying on the western side of the hotel. Mical was sharing a room with Carina, who looked extremely pale at the thought, and Evy, who mirrored her friend, was sharing a room with Atton Rand, on the eastern side of the hotel.

Everyone looked about ready to shoot themselves. Indy, however, was quite content with sharing a room with Han...it'd happened before, and it wouldn't be any different. Han snored like a beast, but at least he slept on the couch or floor, which left Indy the bed to herself. She grinned triumphantly...but did feel a tinge of guilt for practically setting her friends up.

_It's their own fault for denying their feelings anyway...Force knows that they deserve it. Hahaha...Force intervention, my foot. I am so evil,_ Indy thought sinisterly to herself, quite pleased with her plan.

Everyone else shuffled off to their rooms, completely dumbstruck and immensely worried...

Indy chuckled as she and Han found their way to their room.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Han questioned teasingly.

"I am," Indy replied confidently, "they're all so nervous about tonight, they'll never suspect that I planned it this way."

"So, why go through all that effort just to play matchmaker?"

Indy paused. She was not normally a sentimental person, but for some reason, she really liked these people.

"You know, I'm always up for any kind of entertainment," Indy answered with a raucous grin.

-----------------------

"So, looks like you're stuck with me," Atton smirked.

"Oh don't get any funny ideas," Evy snapped back.

"Me? Funny ideas? Nah, I'm always on the straight and narrow," Atton remarked sarcastically.

Mical and Carina walked nervously on each side of Atton and Evy. Carina had been avoiding Mical as much as she could after she had almost given into her feelings for him the other night.

"I'm no stranger to weapons, Atton," Evy quipped back, hoping to scare Atton a bit.

"Oh, I'm sure, sweet, pretty, little nurses are always highly experienced in fighting."

Evy shot him a scathing look, which actually succeeding in shutting him up till they made it to their room.

"Goodnight, Carina," Evy called while giving her an encouraging wink.

Carina smiled weakly, and she and Mical entered their own room.

"I'll…uh…take the couch," Mical said nervously.

Carina looked at the couch, it had springs popping out of the fabric and was obviously not going to be comfortable.

"No," Carina replied softly, "the bed is big enough for both of us."

Mical's head jerked to look at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Carina replied trying to hide the slight wavering of her voice.

---------------------

Igrayne, Bao-Dur, Rani, and Carth had walked all the way to their rooms without a word being exchanged. Igrayne had initially thought about switching places with the Admiral so that she and Rani could share a room, but she knew that Carth was upset with Rani. _What better way of having them make up than forcing them to spend the night together?_ Igrayne thought and smiled to herself. Besides, although she was slightly anxious, the idea of spending all night in the room with Bao-Dur was secretly appealing to her.

Igrayne and Bao found their room, and Igrayne gave Rani a quick hug before Carth and Rani headed down to find their room.

They walked into their room and Bao closed the door behind him. The room was dark, except Igrayne could see Bao-Dur's mechanical arm glowing faintly. They stood in the dark for a few moments before Igrayne found the light controls. They looked around the room, not impressed with the condition of it, but it was better than nothing.

----------------------

Carth walked ahead of Rani, found their room, opened the door, and tossed their bags into the corner. Then, he kicked off his boots and plunked himself down on the tattered couch. Rani stood in the doorway a few seconds before sighing and closing the door behind her.

_Isn't this going to be a pleasant night?_ she thought, grimacing as Carth turned his back to her.


	5. Nighttime Attacker

Truthfully, Igrayne would have found more interest in counting the individual bricks in the wall than enduring another moment of Bao-Dur's presence. He was so quiet and untalkative that it was making things painfully uncomfortable for the both of them. At least they could define the problem, Igrayne thought. She wondered how the others were doing.

_That Indy set us up,_ Igrayne thought grudgingly. _I knew there was a reason I didn't like her._

The fact that Indy had contrived for them to spend the night together was not what bothered her; it was the fact that Indy seemed to have a smug smile plastered on her visage when she last saw her strutting off to the quarters she shared with Han. It might certainly be funny to a smuggler and an archaeologist, but to a nurse and a tech it was less than amusing.

"You take the bed," Bao-Dur said tentatively after Igrayne began packing what little personal effects she carried with her. "I'll take the floor."

She wanted to protest, but that would be sending all the wrong kinds of signals. Taking things slow with the Zabrak tech was just what she needed; not jumping straight into bed with him the first moment they got. Not that she would have minded had he made the proposition to her...

_What am I thinking?_ Igrayne wondered, surprised at the unwelcome direction in which her thoughts tended.

"All right," she replied, grateful for his gentlemanly display. He curled up on the floor in a small sack that served as a makeshift blanket and rolled over to sleep. The remote, similarly, seemed to deactivate itself the moment its master was down for rest.

Igrayne went to the 'fresher to change, keying the lock so nobody would come barging in while she was dressing. It was bad enough having to spend time alone with the Zabrak, without having to worry about him spotting her naked or nearly so.

When she emerged from the 'fresher door she flicked off the lights, which were casting a subtle glow over Bao-Dur's partially sleeping form, causing him to stir a little at the disturbance. She jumped into bed and pulled back the covers, slipping right in for some much-needed rest. She had only been able to catch a bit of shut-eye here and there while in transit, so it was a decided blessing to be able to sleep a full night at last. She hoped, elsewhere, Kevan was doing the same. She wondered if he was on the road to recovery, or if the opposite was true...

She closed her eyes and tried to banish those thoughts from her mind. As she was doing this, a sharp stab of pain entered her mind, as if an invisible hand had just clamped around her throat. What followed was a quick intake of breath and the covers rustling as she shifted body postures.

Bao-Dur stirred, being the light sleeper that he was, and looked immediately to Igrayne, who was sitting up in bed with red-rimmed eyes, her knees tucked up underneath her chin.

"General? What is it?"

He was prepared to pull back the blanket and free his legs should she need him, but she gave him no indication. She merely sat, her eyes glazed over, focused on one spot at the foot of the bed.

"I felt a stab of immense pain. And then darkness. An all-consuming darkness. It was so cold."

Bao-Dur moved near her and saw that she was actually shivering. She had broken into a cold sweat, and Bao moved quickly to draw a blanket around her shoulders.

"You're shivering," he said. "Are you all right?"

"The dream," Igrayne continued, "...If I can even call it a dream. It was more like a nightmare, but a real one."

Bao-Dur's mouth twisted in a wry grin. He looked as though he was going to say something when suddenly the remote activated and interrupted them with a series of annoying beeps and boops. Bao-Dur uttered a command, and the droid was instantly silent.

What he next said shocked her.

"I felt it too."

"What?" Igrayne gawked, her mouth a tiny "o" of surprise. Bao-Dur nodded, fearing to meet her gaze. She liked the fact that he was respectful of her boundaries and sometimes too shy to approach her. She knew if she had a question about the tech, or about repairing a blaster, Bao-Dur would be a blabbering wealth of information. But anything else was simply a burden for the emotionally-challenged zabrak.

"The dream," Bao-Dur replied, "I felt it too. Not as strongly. Faint...a mere echo of the shadow that once was. I think it was a vision, or something. A memory of all the things past."

"It doesn't make sense," Igrayne said, touching a hand to her head. "I've never had anything happen like this before."

Bao-Dur's eyes instantly shot upward.

"You've never traveled with me before."

_Perhaps he's a curse,_ she suddenly worried. She'd listened to stories of bad luck charms adversely affecting all the members of a party before; it was not entirely unheard of. Perhaps this was one such situation.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Igrayne asked.

"Nothing, General," Bao-Dur said quietly, dismissing the topic. She wanted to press him further for details, but it wasn't the right time or place. She needed to know him better before testing her bounds.

"Try to get some sleep," Bao-Dur said, redirecting her to the rumpled sheets. Igrayne lay back in the bed and allowed him to draw the covers up to her chin. His hand lingered for a moment on her cheek, and she wouldn't even have noticed the illicit touch had her senses not been working overtime; but, as it was, the feeling of his skin upon hers was almost intoxicating. It made her forget just where she was and begin entertaining the possibilities of pursuing a romantic relationship.

Not exactly her first choice. In her medical profession, she had been entirely devoted to order and sanctity. That meant no fraternizing with hospitalized patients, no misuse of the medical equipment, and especially no funny business. How was her relationship with Bao-Dur any different than this? Circumstances beyond her control had brought them together again, and those circumstances seemed to similarly be working against them.

"I think I saw a glimpse of what the Force was...in my head," Igrayne spoke up from her place in the bed. Bao-Dur had just rolled over to sleep again when she said this. Some part of her felt guilty for waking him, but another part felt he was the only one with whom she could share this revelation.

"It is logical to assume that such visions can only be associated with the Force."

"But you don't think I should jump to conclusions?" Igrayne asked, searching for his approval.

He looked at her a long time, as if to ask, "Does it matter to you what I think?" but instead, only said, "Force sensitives are almost a dying breed. It is up to you whether you feel you should jump to conclusions. And what are the conclusions that you _could_ jump to?"

"Well, training at the Jedi Enclave, for one," Igrayne said. Despite her sometime contempt for the Jedi Order and the Republic in general for having wrought this unpleasant war upon the galaxy, she was still thrilled at the prospect of dormant Force powers lying untapped. It seemed such a waste to have been blessed with such gifts and not put them to good use, especially in a time when her help was needed more than ever.

"Yes, training would give you the strength to master your powers so they do not pervade your quotidian life. But it is not such a problem that it needs controlling right now, General. It's best we don't speak of this to the others. It might just raise concern."

The Zabrak had a point, and Igrayne was not delusional. Evy and her medical staff would certainly not be thrilled at the prospect of Igrayne leaving them to join the mystical Jedi Order. They might as well accuse her of sipping the happy juice.

She thumped down into bed, tugging the covers up over her head.

"You're right."

She could hear his soft, shallow breathing even from this far away. From time to time, she would peer over to watch him sleep against the cold floor, wanting the warmth of him against her to share in this bed. It seemed like such a waste for him to be isolated down there...but still, she needed to keep a sense of propriety and professionalism in her line of work.

"Night."

"Peaceful dreams, General," Bao-Dur said, and she knew that he meant for her not to dream at all. Dreams, right now, were dangerous for her.

-------------------

Rani sat on one end of the bed while the Admiral was changing from his crisp standard-issue Republic uniform into something more formfitting. Carth emerged from the 'fresher in a pair of pants and a shirt that he had messily tugged on. Rani just watched, admiring the toned muscles that rippled underneath his shirt and when he bent to move a few things at the foot of the bed. If she had been one on the Republic fleet, she would have tried to schedule her workout time alongside the Admiral's as frequently as possible just for one look at that sculpted body.

She felt guilty for forgetting Destrik. His loss had left a void in her life that the Admiral was now struggling to fill. Perhaps it was the fact that they had both lost ones loved to them, and through each other learning to love again.

_Love?_ Rani thought, _Where did that come from?_ He hadn't even so much as whispered a word of appreciation to her since their abrupt landing. Not that all the subtext of his body language had gone unnoticed to her. If actions spoke louder than words, then Carth was certainly returning her interest.

He unclasped a comlink from his waistband and placed it upon a nearby table so that, in the event of an emergency, somebody could reach them. Rani slipped into the bed and moved as far to one side as possible. Just the thought of brushing shoulders with Admiral Onasi was almost unbearable, given the fact that she was openly lusting after him. Perhaps this was one of those stages of grief that she was experiencing, but she very much doubted that was the case.

Carth got into bed and flicked off the lights. It didn't take long for him to start softly snoring. Rani gently reached one leg over under the cover and touched her foot to his. One of Carth's eyes opened involuntarily.

"Trying to warm me up, gorgeous?"

Rani smiled at the understated compliment, feeling herself blush a little and grateful that she was facing the wall.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. My feet were cold."

She could practically feel the Admiral grinning from ear to ear.

"Care to warm them up a bit?" she asked, tongue-tied. "Or...well, I didn't mean that to come out the way it did."

Carth smiled at her sincerity and responded, his voice rife with enthusiasm,

"What kind of a man would I be if I didn't take a beautiful lady up on that kind of offer?"

Rani smiled and allowed Carth to continue the caress.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Better?"

_It would be if you would just come over here and wrap your arms around me..._

"A little."

Rani felt guilty. Had she been moving too fast with Carth? It had only been a week or more since Destrik's loss, and some part of her felt as though she were betraying him, and the love they had shared for many years. How could she turn her back on him so callously?

She tentatively drew her feet away from Carth's warming touch.

"What's the matter, _gorgeous_?"

There was that word again; that word that reduced Rani to a little puddle every time she heard it.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," she lied.

"All right. Sweet dreams, beautiful," he said, moving back toward his side of the bed.

But Rani didn't sleep at all. In fact, she laid awake the whole rest of the night trying to analyze just what had happened and where she had gone wrong.

It certainly wasn't going to be easy with Carth as a bunk-mate for the next few days.

-------------------

"Oh no you're not," Evy scolded as Atton lay on the bed.

"Yes, I am," he said, clearly enjoying the arrangement.

"No. Down, now," she said, trying to make herself look as authoritative as possible.

"Listen up, I ain't no kath hound, and I have as much right to this room as you do, meaning I get half of the bed."

"You have no sense of chivalry, do you?"

"Eh," he said casually, stretching out on the bed, "it's overrated."

"Fine, but no funny business, I mean it. Stay on your side of the bed."

"I'll keep my hands firmly on this side," he said with his characteristic smirk.

Half the time she wanted to kiss him, and the other half she wanted to smack him…this was one of the latter times.

They laid quietly for a little while, Atton laying on his back with Evy on her side with her back to him. Inevitably, he reached out one of his legs, and kneed her playfully on the behind. Evy was ready for him though, and they both sat up quickly. She yanked her pillow off the bed and gave him a good sock right in the chest. She had quite the arm, and Atton was not expecting the blow, so he flew right over the side of the bed.

Evy was thoroughly pleased with herself until Atton poked his head over the edge of the bed.

"Oh, it's on!" he yelled before grabbing his own pillow and proceeding to beat it over her head.

She shrieked loudly, and a rather lively pillow fight ensued. Finally, both of them finding themselves quite out of breath caused them to get sloppy. Atton swung hard, catching Evy's hip. She fell to the floor, and Atton, tired and thrown off balance from the power of his own swing, soon followed, tumbling right on top of her.

Evy was too exhausted to care, plus both of them were breathing hard and hormones were raging from the highly physical scuffle. Atton, still clutching his pillow in one hand, carefully placed it beneath her head, making sure to move her long blonde curls from under it. She was touched by the gentle gesture, and she had an unbearable urge to taste his lips again. He looked at her, his breath slowing down, and leaned down ever so slightly. She didn't think it was possible, but her heart beat even faster. She shut her eyes, yearning to feel his passionate kiss again. She waited. And waited.

_What is that scoundrel doing!_

She opened her eyes to see Atton grinning widely at her. He stood up and swaggered to the bed, laying down and stretching out. Evy angrily jumped up, picked up the pillow and hit him with it in the face.

"What?" he said with mock ignorance.

She glared at him. _How do I let this man get to me?_

"I'm just following orders, you know…no funny business…"

She rolled her eyes before lying down in beside him and cursing herself in her mind for her desire for the infuriating man.

-------------------

Just as Mical settled in to bed next to her, Carina began to have second thoughts about her decision.

_Maybe I should just go sleep on the couch,_ she thought.

"Do you think that things would be like this if you weren't…" Mical started.

"Weren't what?" Carina replied, actually relieved to talk to him. The silence was just too uncomfortable.

"You know what I am referring to."

"Yes."

Mical paused. "Yes, things would be the same, or yes, you know what I am talking about?"

Carina couldn't help but smile at Mical's confusion. He was so polite. Anyone else would have given up on attempting conversation with her.

"Mical, I don't know. I can't change what I am."

"No, and I am glad of it," Mical replied, making Carina blush.

There was a pregnant pause.

"After all this time and after how things ended, how can you stand to be near me?" Carina asked, wondering why she was bringing up such sensitive issues.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes…and no," she said with uncertainty.

"It would be harder to not be around you. As…awkward as this is sometimes, it is better than not knowing you at all."

Carina sighed, a small tear squeezing out of the corner of her eye.

"I can't…I don't…what should I do?" she said, her tears falling freely now.

They both sat up, and Mical gingerly wrapped his arms around her. Carina was grateful for the comforting contact. It had been so long since she had last been in the arms of the man she loved. She rested her head on his chest, softly crying. He stroked her hair softly, murmuring calming words to her. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, her in his embrace, but slowly she stopped crying. Eventually, she picked her head off his chest.

"Thank you," she said simply.

"I will do anything to help you. Anything. I want to be your strength, not your weakness. Tell me what to do. I will do anything you ask of me."

Carina smiled, placing a hand on his cheek.

"We'll talk later," she said, feeling much better after her cry. "For now, let's try and get some sleep."

----------------

That night, Rani's sleep was disturbed by Carth's soft snoring. She spent most of the night tossing and turning in the hopes that Carth would feel her weight shifting about and wake up. But the Admiral was too tired to be woken after operating for the past few days on overdrive.

Rani tried to banish the thoughts that entered her mind when she stared at Carth's body. She could feel the overpowering musk of him tickle her nostrils, begging her to move closer. Which she did.

She leaned over Carth, looking at his peaceful sleeping features. He looked as though he had not a care in the world despite the setbacks he'd suffered in the last few weeks. She would never have guessed he'd lost both his wife and son to the Sith attacks had she not known him personally. She supposed part of his rank required him to put aside personal feelings in favor of duty and obligation.

And Carth was excellent at that. She wondered if their flirting had been little more than that: flirting. When it came to his job, Carth always had his priorities straight, and that was not something he would simply rearrange for a woman he had just met, like Rani.

She leaned over Carth, feeling his breath against her cheek as she brushed back two strands of hair from his face. Carth winced a little at the touch and settled back to sleep. Rani's hand trailed a path from his brow ridge down the bridge of his nose and to its final resting point on his lips. She took in every inch of those lips--their soft, sensuous yet manly curves. She had but to lean forward, prime her lips for his. A simple, stolen kiss would put to rest all the ceaseless longings inside of her.

She lowered herself over him, covering his lips with hers very gently at first. When she felt him awake and begin to respond to the kiss, though, she varied in between gentle and passionate. Carth, unsatisfied with being pinned under her, moved to a sitting position and took hold of her jaw in both hands, tilting her head to give him further access to the velvety recesses of her mouth.

Carth was the first to deepen the kiss, as if he had wanted this as much as her for as long as they both had known one another. It felt wrong but oh so right. Rani even ran her hands through the admiral's hair, letting her fingers tangle in that exquisite touch.

Just as Carth was beginning his exploration of her mouth, a blaster bolt streaked across the room, shattering the one window. Rani jumped and Carth, quickly regaining his bearings, ran across the room to the broken window through which their assailant was escaping. Rani stood up and immediately covered herself in case there was an attack.

Carth climbed through the crevice in the window to follow in pursuit of their assailant, but his chase was short-lived. He returned, moments later, to find Rani standing there with her robe crossed over her body.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his arm rubbing her shoulder protectively. She bobbed her head in accordance to the question, too afraid at the moment to speak.

"I seem to have scared him off for the moment," Carth observed, moving to the nearby table where he had placed a loaded blaster. He cocked back the hammer and holstered it in the waistband of his pants.

"I'll go and inform the necessary authorities of our little visit. We don't want it happening again, which is why I suggest you arm yourself with this, gorgeous."

He handed her a blaster similar to his own, which Rani covered with one hand in an almost prayer-like stance. Carth certainly paid painstaking attention to detail when it came to her safety; he was truly sweet in that sense.

"Will you be okay here, by yourself? I'll only be gone a few minutes," he said, his hand stroking through the long, dark masses of her hair. His fingers brushed her cheek very gently.

"Yes," Rani nodded, equipping her blaster. "I think I can handle myself."

Carth gave a chuckle and then an admiring nod.

"I've noticed."

He left the room to go inform the proper authorities of the attack and to call for increased security in their wing. Meanwhile, Rani kept watch in the room until Carth returned from his little jaunt.


	6. Mandalorian Kidnappers

The dark figure crouched behind some containers, silently cursing himself for missing their target. _I had them...I had them both. They were there. In my targeting reticule...and yet pity stayed my hand._ The figure crept stealthily towards the hotel manager and slipped a thin needle into his neck. He collapsed to the floor in a heap and the figure stole his clothes...giving himself an appearance of a well-groomed manager. He ran a brisk hand once through his cropped silver hair.

He'd missed their target once, and they did not intend to do it twice. Frustration and anger filled his senses, but he managed to keep a cool facade up for the rest of the customers. It was only a matter of time until the target arrived a second time, yet this time...the target would not live to see the next day. The figure grinned evilly at this thought. It was perfect.

The night seemed to wear on, and the figure became impatient. Morning seemed so far away, and patience was not a trait usually associated with Mandalorians...yet he had to do this for his clan. It was a fool's errand, not worthy of a mercenary of his skill and caliber. Yet, here he was. Waiting like some little messenger boy, except this messenger boy came equipped with weapons that would scare even the most well-armored opponent.

"Wait!"

"No, I should have known better than to talk to you about that..." Igrayne answered, nearly storming from the room. Bao-Dur stood in the doorway behind her and shook his head sadly before closing the door.

"Problem, Miss?" the figure began. He grinned, but it was not a friendly grin. It made Igrayne nervous.

"No...I'm fine. Do you have another room available?"

"Let me..._check_." The "manager" said, flipping through something.

Igrayne looked at him closely for the first time and noticed that he seemed oddly familiar. "Do I know you?"

He frowned. "I'm certain that you don't...and we have no rooms. Tough luck, Miss."

Igrayne could have sworn that she'd met him somewhere before—but where? Unless...

"Did you serve in the Mandalorian Wars?" she queried.

His frown deepened and he glared at her. "What business is it of yours...scram."

"Hmph!" Igrayne said, turning on her heels and heading to one of her friend's rooms...  
-----------------------------------

"Mical?"

"Yes?"

"Um...before when you said if you thought that things could be like if things had happened differently...?" Carina began tentatively.

"Yes?" Mical answered, curious as to her sudden interest to talk to him.

"I am sorry," she said quietly.

Mical turned to face her. "What do you mean? What are you sorry for?"

"You know," was all she replied to him.

Mical avoided her gaze because he did indeed know what she was apologizing for. "I have told you that I harbor no hurt feelings against you."

"Hurt feelings?" Carina repeated accidentally. _Are those all the feelings you harbor for me?_ she asked him silently, but he didn't reply to that. That wasn't surprising.

"We are friends...as you wished it," Mical said, giving her the worst possible answer. But Mical didn't know that.

She smiled sadly. "Right. Mical, I—"

She cut herself off and Mical couldn't help wonder what she was going to say. "Yes?"

"Nothing," she murmured. "Sorry, I'm keeping you awake. I just...can't seem to sleep." _Not surprisingly, considering that I'm lying next to a man that I once loved..._

_That you still love, _her consciousness replied.

Mical repressed a sigh and turned back over, to avoid having to look at her anymore. It just hurt too much...as much as he denied it to himself, he still loved this woman. Yet, she had denied him once, and so he hadn't pressed the matter.

Carina couldn't keep quiet, however. "Mical, back then...when you said that you...did you mean it?"

There was a long silence that fell between them, only the sound of their breathing and hearts beating. Mical shifted uncomfortably. "I did."

Carina felt the hot tears well up again, but fought them down. _Do you still love me?_ she asked silently.

And again, he didn't answer—not surprisingly, for she hadn't said it aloud. She rolled over and fell into a restless sleep...  
---------------------------

A woman dressed in smuggler's garb entered the hotel and sauntered over towards the manager. "I need a room."

The Mandalorian assassin sighed. "Name?"

"Rayne," she said simply.

The Mandalorian perked up. "I've been waiting for you. The targets should be waking soon...you should take the men, and I'll get the woman."

"They won't know what hit them."

Rayne smiled and felt her within her side pack surreptitiously. She wouldn't run out of ammo, that was for sure. She stepped behind the counter to stand next to him as he pulled out two blood red blasters with illegal sound buffers. They wanted this to be covert, and they couldn't very well do this under wraps if they had blaster shots alerting the authorities before they could finish the job and get a head start.

"It's been a while," the man said nonchalantly, and as she looked up, she noticed that he was staring down at her with an odd twinkle in his eyes. It was never good when a Mandalorian got any kind of twinkle in their eyes, someone always ended up dead... but this seemed... _different_.

"It has..." It was awkward, talking like this after...how long had it been? Two years. Technically, they were still...

"You're wearing your ring still." She blinked a couple times before looking down at the shining metallic red band on her left hand. She nodded slowly to him as if she hadn't really realized that she'd never removed it.

"Guess I am." She looked to his hand...gloved. "I didn't think you'd wear yours after the first year..." She tried not to sound bitter, she wasn't really upset. Just a hint of disappointment sounded in her voice.

"Didn't want to bloody it up." He admitted, moving a monstrous hand to his neck and producing a silver necklace with a matching blue metallic band on it. Both had runes on them. _Mandalorian runes_, she reminded herself. They held their personal vows that held their secret engagement true.

For a moment, time stood still as she reached up and ran her index finger down the scar near his right eye. The one she had put there when they had gone their separate ways. He didn't blink, yet remained stony faced. But not once did his eyes dark eyes leave her green-hazel ones. She too had her scar from him. Two, in fact. The razor thin one that ran from just above her left eyebrow and ran diagonally over her nose and down underneath her right eye and a blaster shot wound that looked like a heart on her left shoulder.

"C'mon... let's just do this thing. Save what dignity we've got... we'll face the formalities later." He spoke nearly monotone and she smiled widely at him.

"I love it when you try to hide your emotions, Ordo. I don't think those three little words would mean the same to me without the melodious one tone that always proclaimed them in." He glared at her and she just smirked wider. "Let's do this."

----------------------

For a moment, things were quiet in Carina's room. She lay awake, listening to the quiet sounds of Mical's breathing. He always sounded so at peace when he slept... why couldn't she have given him that sort of peace when they had been together? She didn't have time to ponder that thought as the door was kicked in.

---------------------

Igrayne had wandered the hallways of the motel, stopping outside of both Carina's and Evy's rooms, deciding in the end not to disturb either of them.

_Just because my night is not going well doesn't mean I should ruin theirs._

She thought about dropping in on Indy in the middle of the night just to pay her back for the room arrangements that she so cleverly made. _Nah, I don't trust that one._

Instead, she sighed and made her way back towards her own room. On her way there, Igrayne felt a soft breeze flowing down the hallway. Curious, she walked past her room and found the door to Rani and Carth's room open.

"Rani! What happened?" Igrayne said, seeing the broken window and the blaster in Rani's hand.

"Someone broke in our room and shot at us," Rani replied.

"Force! Are you okay? Where is Carth? Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Rani answered, visibly shaken. "Carth's informing the authorities. Both of us are okay…the shooter missed, hit the window instead…I don't know how the guy missed, I mean he was in our room, he had plenty of time to aim…"

"If he sneaked in your room without either of you noticing, well, he must be more skilled than the common assassin," Igrayne conjectured.

Rani paled and then blushed furiously. 

_What is going on with her? Is she ok? Maybe she's just scared? Or maybe…oh, now I see why they didn't notice the guy...they must have been busy. _Igrayne thought, happy that her plan to get Rani and Carth to make up worked.

"Good to know someone appreciates my skill," a rough voice interrupted Igrayne's thoughts. She turned to look at the speaker and found herself staring down the barrel of a very big and blood red blaster.

-------------------

Carina let out a surprised scream and stood up. Mical soon followed, standing in front of her as if he was shielding her from whatever was to come. A dark figure stood in the doorway, tall and strong, but decidedly feminine.

Dawn was breaking, and a bit of grey light filtered through the small window in the room. Rayne's eyes flashed green with excitement…she always cherished this part of the hunt the best.

"Who are you?" Mical's usually soft voice took a hard edge.

Rayne let out an evil chuckle in response, noticing that neither Mical nor Carina had weapons on them.

_This might just be easier than I thought._

------------------

Indy was lying sprawled over the bed, while Han was lying shirtless on the couch. He was lying in an awkward position, snoring loudly like he had no troubles in the world. She shook her head and took a sip of her stim tea.

Picking up the pencil again, she started finishing the sketch she was drawing of the so-called artifact one of her clients wanted. It was a round transparent orb, which had large ruby in the center. The surface was coated in veins of gold.

Grinning at the more or less accurate drawing of the thing she was hunting, she rose the cup of stim tea to her lips, taking a good dreg. She tossed the empty cup away. She moved to switch off the light when she heard a blaster shot. The walls were paper thin, and the only rooms next to theirs were those of the others.

"Oh, nuts! Han, Han! Get up!" she hollered and jumped off the bed. In a flurry of movement, Han went from lying on the couch to lying on the floor.

"Get up, you lazy arse!" She smacked his head and dived for her blaster. Picking it up, she ran out of the room, Han closely following.

They seemed to have forgotten the state of undress they were in. Han wore only pants and Indy wore very short shorts and a tank top and, of course, her fedora.

--------------------

Perhaps it was the stress and pressure of the moment or some weird stroke of luck, but Carina's lightsaber suddenly appeared in her hand, ignited. She glared at the woman who had burst into her...or _their_ room. _Boy, does that sound wrong..._

"Hah. So we have a little Jedi here, do we?" the woman said, hissing the word.

Mical looked shocked to say the least, and Carina looked even more shocked then he did. She hadn't used her Force powers since… Carina shut the memory out of her mind. Now was not the time to be reliving the past.

"Get out," she growled, surprised by her own fierceness.

The woman looked hardly scared. "Or what?"

"Or I'll...I'll..." Carina's vision started to become blurry and she didn't seem to have the strength the fight the sleep that consumed her. She collapsed to the ground, and Mical did the same shortly after.

"Pathetic really." The woman yawned. "All too easy. Poison does wonders for the lungs. Sleep well, my future Sith students."

-----------------------

Rani felt it more than she heard it and, sensing danger in the building, she rushed out of her room right into Carth, who looked panicked. He grabbed her. She noticed the others, with the exception of Mical, Carina, and Igrayne, following them.

"Where is—" Rani began.

Carth shook his head. "No time to explain. We need to get out of here. Now. The Sith have captured Mical, Carina, and Igrayne. It's too late for them...but we need to get back to Coruscant ASAP."

Rani couldn't even register the words he said. _Too late for them?_ It wasn't possible, but Rani felt too numb to move. It was Telos all over again...

------------------

Indy and Han skittered to a stop in front of Carth and Rani's room. Evy and Atton were already inside with Carth and Rani.

"What happened?" Indy asked, panting heavily. Atton just looked at her, smiling at her state of undress.

"We heard a blaster shot!" Han added, trying to get an explanation.

Evy rolled her eyes at Atton, who was still slobbering over Indy in her undergarments, and quickly explained what they knew so far about the situation. Further inside the room, Carth and Rani were seated on the bed speaking quietly.

"Can you remember anything that might help us find them?" Carth asked Rani.

She gazed into his amazing warm brown eyes and wanted to be able to help, but she could remember very little.

"I…We…Igrayne and I were in there, talking, and then this large man came in with some kind of red blaster…he said something, but I was so scared I can't even remember what it was."

"That's okay. Then what happened, beautiful?" Carth questioned, holding her hand to try and calm her down. 

"Then…I don't know, the man, he threw something, and then…I can't remember…" Rani said helplessly.

"Probably poison," Evy injected, pacing the room anxiously.

"So, let me get this straight, Rani, you had a blaster and you just let the guy walk up and take your friend Igrayne without even firing one shot?" Atton asked rudely.

"Lay off, Atton!" Carth roared as Evy shot a death stare at Atton.

"I'm just saying, doesn't it seem a little convenient…?" Atton said, raising his eyebrows.

Everyone stared at Atton in disbelief. Carth looked like he was about to hit him.

"Look, how long have you known her? A week? How much do you even know about Rani? How do you guys even know you can trust her?" Atton asked, his eyes narrowing.

Carth immediately pounced off the bed and socked Atton right in the jaw.

"Admiral!" Evy cried, jumping in between the two men.

"Serves him right, staring at you like that," Han said just under his breath, but loud enough for Indy to hear. She smiled to herself.

"Atton, that is enough!" Evy stated. "We know Rani well enough to know that she had no part in this!"

Atton rubbed his jaw with a brooding look, but said nothing more.

"Igrayne, Carina, and Mical are the ones that were taken, so where's Bao-Dur?" Evy asked.

"He was here, I spoke to him earlier…told him about Igrayne. He looked…well, as distraught as I've ever seen a Zabrak. I left him in his room," Carth explained while still glaring at Atton.

Evy looked stricken.

"What?" everyone asked almost in unison.

"I was checked in his room, none of his stuff was in there, I'd just assumed he'd come here and brought his stuff with him," Evy said, growing wearier by the minute.

"Damn!" Carth cursed, looking like he wanted to hit something again. Atton made sure Evy was still firmly in between him and Carth.

Carth sat back down on the bed, leaning over, his hands over his face. Rani touched him softly on the shoulder. He uncovered his face and gazed at her for a few seconds before revealing their plan.

"All right, let's get to Coruscant as soon as we can. I'll talk to my connections there and we'll draw up a plan to get them back. I'll leave word for Bao-Dur in case he's still hanging around here somewhere. Indy, Han, you still up for shuttling us around?"

"Yes, of course," Indy replied, feeling solemn.

"Okay, good. Then let's pack up and get out of here as soon as we can," Carth said.

"And maybe you two could get some clothes on," Evy said, smiling at Indy and Han before leaving to pack.


	7. Orchestrating an Escape

Carina couldn't move. In fact, she felt stuck in an extremely bad position. It was completely dark, and all she could do was listen to see if she was alone or not. She heard faint breathing to both sides of her.

"Mical?" There was no reply and she nudged the closest form to her.

The form emitted a groan before replying, "Carina?"

"Oh, thank the Force that you're awake," Carina said with relief.

Mical smiled but it was lost within the all-consuming darkness. "Your concern is noted. I'm fine...but Igrayne hasn't woken up yet. Are you all right?"

"For the most part. I can't move, though," Carina confessed.

Carina felt Mical move closer. "Perhaps one of us can get the bonds off our wrists. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try."

Carina blushed at being in such close proximity to the blonde man, but agreed. "Ok, since it was your idea, why don't you try getting mine off first?"

"Of course," he said before adding with a tint of sarcasm, "It would be my pleasure."

-------------------

Rayne sighed, throwing her blasters on the table and plopping down next to her love... _former_ she reminded herself as she took a drink of the Corellian Ale.

"Rayne..." a gruff voice spoke suddenly, and she instinctively looked up. _Why does he have to be so darned tall?_

"Yes, Canderous?" she questioned, trying not to sound too curious. It didn't work as he chuckled a little and put an arm around her.

"I never stopped thinking of you. Every man I killed, every bounty I collected... I tried to believe it would bring me back to you... Nothing, though, will ever restore me to my previous honor." 

"Canderous...you never lost your honor in my eyes. I still love you." It had come from her mouth before she could even think as she turned red.

"I still love you too."

The prisoners forgotten, he kissed her gently.

After they had enjoyed each other's company for a bit, Rayne had to get back to business.

"So, is there a reason you didn't capture the other targets?"

Canderous paused, wondering how much he should reveal to the woman he loved.

"I have a plan," he said with confidence.

"A plan?" Rayne questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, do tell."

"I decided to leave the Admiral and the blondie Jedi for a reason. When I snuck into Onasi's room, I found him with a broad."

"He was with a woman!" Rayne was surprised. _Karath said his wife just died..._ "Are you sure they were together?"

He let out a raucous laugh. "Judging by what they were doing, yes."

Rayne joined in the laughter before letting Canderous continue.

"Why go through all the trouble of capturing Onasi? Saul Karath did say that he wants to turn the man to his side. He'll be more likely to do that if we have... leverage."

"Leverage? Like the three Jedi we have now?" Rayne questioned, eager to figure out what he was getting at.

"My plan is we force the Admiral to come to us. We use the captives we have now to tempt him to follow us so he can try to save them. But we turn it around on him and when we get a chance, we take the final Jedi and Onasi's broad. With all of them in our hands, the good Admiral will be unlikely to turn Karath's offer down. After that, we sell the four Jedi to the Sith and toss the broad."

"Ordo," she said with a sexy smile, "you always knew how to turn a woman on."

---------------------

Mical managed to get his bound hands in front of him, and he began to try and work the ropes off of Carina's wrists, which were still behind her. Mical was so close to her, she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

_Oh no! Anywhere but there!_ Carina thought as his hot breath sent shivers down her spine. She felt the heat rising in her face. She didn't know how much longer she could take the titillating torture, when finally Mical got her free.

"Thank the Force!" Carina cried with more enthusiasm than she meant.

Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark room. She could start to see shapes. She thought she could see the motionless form of Igrayne against the wall of the very small and dank room.

"It is a storage room I believe," Mical said, practically reading her mind again.

She turned to remove his bonds, which took a lot less time since she had her arms free.

"Thank you," he said sincerely as she finished. He stood up and stretched out.

Carina didn't stand up, but scooted over to Igrayne to make sure she was okay.

"She's breathing fine, and her heart rate looks good. She should be awake in a few minutes here," Carina reported to Mical and removed Igrayne's bonds before also standing up and joining him.

"How about you? Are you all right?" he asked, stepping closer to her to try and see her face in the dark.

"Yes…yes…I'm all right…although my head kind of aches from that damn poison," Carina answered, her heart thudding in her chest.

"Would you like me to assist you with that?" Mical asked.

"What?" Carina replied, not sure what Mical was asking.

He stepped closer to her, his face so close to hers that her skin prickled pleasantly with the nearness. 

"I said would you like me to assist you with that?" he repeated, a sweet smile crossing his face.

_Oh, Force. I love him, I love him, I love him._

"Yes," she said before closing the slight distance between their lips. It was like electricity shot through her body when her lips met his. Her body trembled ever so slightly at his touch, as he traced his fingers up her arm over her shoulder and then slowly across the sensitive parts of her neck. She could feel the silkiness of his mouth on hers, and she intensified the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling his body up against hers. He matched her passion, clutching at her waist now. It was the best she'd felt in ages, and she wanted him to sink into her, complete her…

Igrayne moved slightly and groaned. Carina was surprised she even noticed it, with the way her senses were reeling over Mical's touch, but she did, so she pulled away from him and went to her friend's side.

-------------------

Rayne also pulled away from Ordo's embrace as she heard movement in the storage room where they'd locked the captives.

"Damnit, those Jedi are awake already," she complained.

"Ah!" Canderous scoffed. "We'll just turn on the poison vents in there when we wanna knock them out so we can take them to Karath."

"Are you sure we shouldn't just do it now?" she said, her eyes hinting at worry.

"The Sith want them alive, we don't want to poison them to death. Besides, I've fought enough real Jedi in my life, and I have everything in there safeguarded. These Force-sensitives aren't going anywhere without us."

-------------------

Igrayne woke up shortly afterward and heard the ensuing scuffle of her compatriots trying to break free of their Force cages. Instead of helping them, she closed her eyes and focused her mind...on the feeling that had normally pervaded part of her brain as she slept. If she could learn to harness it, then perhaps it would prove useful.

She cleared her mind of all thought. Now there was nothing but the echo, lingering ever-present. She thought of the one person who would be able to hear her and called his name softly.

_Bao-Dur..._

She heard a responsive shudder in the Force, as though she had been physically backhanded; but it was more of a mental slap. Perhaps someone...or something...was trying hard to curb her usage of the Force. She wasn't surprised, in their current predicament.

But there was another feeling, lying under the surface blockage. She could feel him...responding, as always, to her call. She knew there was never any call he would not answer, especially to her.  
_  
General..._

She was so happy with the contact that she nearly lost her train of thought, which would have cost her their conversation and resulted in an exercise in futility. She kept herself firmly focused on the established contact, breaching the gap between them both with her mind.

_You can hear me_, she thought, which translated into words. Bao-Dur responded with the same cryptic answer.

_You've always known._  
_  
There is great danger here. Death lingers around me, I can feel it_, she thought, the force of the connection becoming almost too much for her mind to bear. Without the proper training, this was proving much more difficult than it should have been.

_Then you know what you must do,_ the Zabrak replied, apparently aware that the connection was breaking. _Take care of yourself, General. The others are depending on you._

His words lingered in his mind even after she fell down to the ground, momentarily crippled by the lack of strength in her body. She could hear Carina calling her, but it all seemed somehow very far away...

"Are you all right? I've been calling you for hours," Carina demanded, helping to pull Igrayne up by the arm. The other woman ran a hand through her long, dark hair and blinked twice to clear her head of the queasiness. It was just something she'd have to get used to when tapping into the Force. Perhaps that would diminish with training.

"Yes. I was just...sleeping," Igrayne lied. Right now, Carina didn't need to know what she was up to. They were no longer in a medical facility anymore with Evy doling out orders and commands to them. Things seemed so much simpler then; the war was a distant threat, and all they had to worry about was their patients. Since then, however, her life had changed dramatically.

"Well, get up unless you _want_ to die," Carina said scathingly.

Mical seemed to be doing his best to avoid all eye contact with Carina. Igrayne thought that was unusual behavior for the doctor, but it wasn't her place to say anything to either of them.

She stood to her feet and brushed off her lightly dusted gear. She could feel her limbs beginning to bruise from the numerous falls she had taken while in captivity. That wouldn't make for a pretty picture when..._if_...she returned to Bao-Dur and the others. But her appearance was the furthest thing from her mind right now. They had to devise a means of escape.

"So, any ideas?" Igrayne asked.

"Yeah, when they open the door, run like hell," Carina suggested.

"Be serious."

"I _am_ serious! Do you see any other way out of here?"

"No, but that's not going to stop me."

Igrayne's hands skimmed the wall, feeling her way over the dark forms. She practically had to stumble over a few items of furniture.

"Your energy would, perhaps, be better spent on doing something useful," Mical suggested. Igrayne gave him a scorching glare over her shoulder, and he was instantly silent.

Footsteps echoed down a short passageway, alerting them to the fact that their attackers were coming back to retrieve them. Igrayne immediately returned to the place she had woken up and sat beside Carina. The door sprang open and the woman walked inside with energy cuffs. She slapped a pair on the doctor and Carina, before doing the same to Igrayne. The man beside her had a mean-looking repeating rifle propped up over one shoulder, watching her work.

"Quickly now, love," Canderous said, "We've already wasted enough time as it is."

"You know I love it when you pressure me," the woman teased, semi-flirtatiously.

"This is serious. The Admiral himself will be meeting us for the trade."

Rayne's hands froze on her captive's arm.

"_Saul Karath_ is coming here?"

"Yes, so I expect you'll be on your best behavior," Canderous growled, his voice a velvet hiss. Rayne smirked as she ushered the three Force-sensitives out of the room.

"Oh, not to worry. I won't try anything stupid with the Admiral around."

He seemed almost dismayed by this answer. He watched her holster both of her blasters and turn to him with one eyebrow raised.

"No need to be so quiet, Ordo."

"I was never one for words," Canderous replied, "I prefer action to talk."

Her hand landed briefly on his leg; an inadvertent caress that took Canderous by surprise. He ran a heavy hand through his gray, buzz-cut hair and then through the stubble on his chin.

"Once the Admiral's gone, I have _other_ ways of showing you my appreciation," she whispered into his ear, her breath sending chills down his spine, "And I couldn't agree more with you on the action part."

Canderous grinned as they herded the three captives into a simple transport and jettisoned into space to rendezvous at their planned trajectory, somewhere in the Dantooine system.

--------------------

Carth packed the last of his belongings and followed the others onto Indy's ship, _Centurion's Blade_. Han was already at the controls when the others arrived, plotting a course for Coruscant.

"I hope they're all right," Rani said aloud, once she had settled down in the main hold. Evy sat down beside her on an overlarge couch and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm sure we'll find them. All it takes is time."

"We may not have enough," Rani said.

Atton walked over, both hands tucked into his pockets. He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention.

"Want something?" Evy queried. Atton laughed jovially.

"You know, you have a way of making a guy feel welcome wherever you go."

"It's a gift," she said with a shrug of the shoulders. "But not one I reserve for _you_."

"Fair enough," Atton said, sliding backwards onto a nearby seat. "I'm not asking you to like me. All I'm asking is for a round of Pazaak."

"_Pazaak_?" Evy blurted. "How can you think about Pazaak at a time like this?"

"A time like what?" Atton asked, his deck already half-way out of his pocket.

"When our friends might be dying, that's what!" Evy said in annoyance. "The least you could do is give us a moment's peace."

He held both hands up as though supremely affronted.

"Excuse me for living. Just thought I might pass the time. You know, take your mind off things a bit."

"I'd like a game," Rani said, though Evy stared at her disapprovingly. Rani shrugged. "_What_?"

Atton smiled his cocky smile and extended an arm to Rani, who followed him over to an unused corner of the main hold. They both sat down at the table and spread the pazaak cards out. Atton began dealing.

"So, what's the object of the game, exactly?" Rani asked.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to play Pazaak!"

"Not really."

Atton's hands worked with speed and agility. Rani couldn't help but wonder if the deck was stacked in his favor. He had that mischievous glint in his eye that told her something was up.

"Now, the thing to remember is that you want to get as close to 20 as possible without exceeding it."

"Ok, kind of like Sabaac?" Rani asked.

"Yeah, exactly."

After a few hands in which Atton was the victor and had loudly declared his own self-praise, Rani threw the cards down in frustration.

"I don't think I want to play anymore."

"It's okay. This next round I'll go easy on you."

"Will you listen to him? That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!" Evy squealed. Although she had busied herself with reading some texts in Basic, she threw them down in exasperation as if this was the last straw from Atton. Rani didn't seem to mind, however, as she left the table and walked up to the ship's cockpit, where Han and Carth were seated in the pilot's chairs.

"Everything in order?" Rani asked. Indy, who was perched behind Han's chair, pointed to the viewport.

"Just waiting for clearance and then we'll be on our way. Doors are sealed?"

"Yes," Han confirmed.

"And the hatch is secured?"

Han raised both eyebrows as he looked over his shoulder at the meddling Indy.

"Listen, sister. If you want to fly this thing yourself, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"It is my ship, _after all_. I'm doing you a favor by letting you fly it."

"Favor?" Han asked, pointing with one finger to his own chest. "If I had things my way we wouldn't be carting around these people a second longer!"

"At ease," Carth commanded, drawing them out of their argument. The look on his face was sober as he said, "We need to be together on this, _not_ divided."

Rani stroked Carth's seat back. She couldn't help but feel it all over again--the tingling in her toes, the near-deafening thrumming of her heart against her chest--the Admiral was like a dream and more. She couldn't wait for them to land in Coruscant; hopefully, she would have some time to speak with him privately then. But for now, she left him to his piloting duties.

The ship's engines powered up soon after they were transmitted their clearance codes. Carth and Han shot the _Centurion's Blade_ up and into space before making the jump into hyperspace. The stars around them streaked from black to blue as the ship sped off toward Coruscant.

When they had made the transition to hyperspace safely, Indy voiced her opinion about how they were going to manage the flying.

"Okay, one pilot keeps watch over the controls in hyperspace. All who can fly without crashing will take turns on it. When we fly in real space and are about to land, I'd like to have two pilots in the cockpit. Got it?"

"How many pilots are we, actually?" Han asked as he looked up at her.

"Well... Carth, you, me, and Atton. Atton is a pilot right?" she said and glanced at Carth.

"I've only seen him crash, so I don't really know..." he replied at her question. Indy turned a bit pale. "Okay, three pilots."

Han chuckled.

"I'll take the first shift," Carth stated. Both Han and Indy nodded and headed out of the cockpit.

Evy and Atton were talking over a Pazaak deck when they arrived. Rani was still in the cockpit. Without Igrayne, Carina, Bao-Dur, and Mical the place seemed eerily quiet.

"Sabaac?" Indy questioned, hefting a deck. Han nodded and they seated themselves by the other table in the main hold opposite to Evy and Atton.

Handing out the cards, Indy had a feeling she and Han would be traveling with these people for quite a while.

-------------------

Rayne deposited the prisoners in their own separate Force containment chambers, leaving the cuffs on.

"This better be a good pay off... I don't like lowering myself to work with these sorts anymore than you do. The Jedi, however, were formidable opponents," she noted quietly to Canderous, who activated Igrayne's chamber.

"Yeah... but you've got to do whatever's going to bring the money in... we lost," he whispered back to her. A moment later, he was holding his cheek and staring at her wide-eyed. "Force, woman! What the space did you do that for?"

"We _never_ lost," was all that she said before returning to programming the password protection on the chambers. Sure, the Sith had their own, but she was bored and she wanted to make sure that they would get their payoff. If the Sith tried anything with the cages without her password, their prisoners would be killed instantly.

Looking up some from her work, she caught the blonde Jedi man staring at her. Raising an eyebrow, she noted that he seemed sort of territorial when it came to the first Jedi woman next to him. Unable to resist the urge, or her pang of jealously at the young love before her, she walked up to the cages. None of the prisoners were any older than her really.

"Heh...so, Jedi got a girlfriend, eh?" she asked smartly. He didn't reply. 

Looking to Canderous, she smiled deviously. "I asked you if this schutta was your girlfriend."

His eyes flashed dangerously at her.

"You'll see to find it in your best interests to address her with the proper respect, ma'am," he spoke angrily, yet still with the perfect manners. She laughed.

"I'm sorry, let me try this again...is this old broad here your girlfriend?" she questioned, and she knew that had she not been outside those cages, he would have torn her apart.

"You don't have to answer her, Mical. She's just messing with you...they're just words, and a Jedi such as youself is above that," Carina said, looking defiantly at the woman before her. Rayne shrugged.

"Eh, whatever."

She started to walk back to the console, sauntering more than walking. She grabbed Canderous and kissed him deeply, her hands straying into his short graying hair and gripping. His hands found her hips as his eyebrows furrowed with confusion and deep concentration. She was on tiptoe, one leg slightly bent up. Turning back to smirk arrogantly at their captives, she cocked her head to the side and ran a gloved hand through her mussed black tresses.

"Young love sucks, anyways."

Mical, Carina, and Igrayne were silent as Canderous and Rayne left them in the prisoner room of the ship. Mical looked carefully around the room, trying to see any possible weaknesses that might allow them to escape. He was trying his hardest to keep a clear head. He'd almost lost it during Rayne's bitter words; the only thing that held his fury back was Carina's voice, angelic and strong in his time of need. He had been mightily disappointed when he had been separated from her and all of them were put in separate Force cages. He strained to keep his mind on his task, but it kept wandering back to a few hours ago, when Carina had kissed him…

_I will never be able to fully let her go_, he thought honestly to himself. As soon as he had seen her on Iridonia, he knew that his love had not ceased during all those years they spent apart. _I love her now, more than ever_. And her passionate kiss had answered his burning question, _and she loves me_.

Carina sat miserably on the floor of her Force cage. _Why did I do that? Why did I have to kiss him? _Even though she was intensely angry at herself for giving in to her feelings, she couldn't help but feel a warming sensation rising up inside of her whenever she thought of their encounter. _His lips, his hands, his body, his love…_

Carina sighed softly. She would have really liked to speak to Igrayne about what had transpired between her and Mical, but Mical was in the cage right next to her, and Igrayne looked to be sleeping while sitting. Carina looked more closely at Igrayne through the bars of her cage. Igrayne was sitting in a lotus position, her arms resting lightly at her sides. Her eyes were closed, and she looked peaceful, but also as if she were concentrating.

_Is she…can she be…meditating?_ Carina always had some suspicion that Igrayne might be Force sensitive, but Carina who had turned away from her powers, was hesitant to bring it up to Igrayne.

Igrayne kept her breathing very controlled. She blocked out all of her senses, except that part of her which could sense the Force. She made no attempt to manipulate it yet, but instead observed…felt its currents and eddies. She sensed it inside of her. First, she could only feel a trickle. Then slowly the flow increased. She turned her senses outward, feeling the power pulsating through the bars of the Force cage. Then she could "see" its flow through both Carina and Mical. Slowly, her concentration began to break as her fears came seeping in. _Will we be able to escape? What does Admiral Karath want with us? Do any of our friends even know where we are?_

Carina was still watching Igrayne when Igrayne broke out of her meditation. Igrayne looked very tired to Carina, so she decided not to question her about the meditation.

"So," Igrayne began with an exhausted smile, "are you really Mical's broad?"

Carina smiled back, it was good to know that even in their dire situation, the friends knew how to cheer one another up.

Carina turned back to Mical after Igrayne got in the best position she could in the small cage to rest. Mical looked at her with those soulful blue eyes, and she knew that he was as consumed with her as she was with him.


	8. Arrival at Coruscant

Back on the _Centurion's Blade_, the crew was still passing the time until their arrival on Coruscant.

"I still don't get this whole Pazaak thing…" said Evy, slightly frustrated as Atton made a futile attempt at getting her to play another round with him. She was never much of a card player, and the game didn't appeal to her in the slightest—especially when her friends were in imminent danger.

"What do you mean?" asked Atton, obviously offended that she wasn't taking a liking to the game. "It's not that difficult to understand… I thought you were smarter than that, babe."

Evy's eyes narrowed at him, as she threw her cards down in frustration.

"I _understand_ the rules of the game, Atton, but I don't see what the appeal is. I can't see how people just waste their lives and their money on trivial things like this."

"Well, excuse me for not catching your interest," said Atton mockingly. He shuffled his cards for a few moments before his expression suddenly turned devious. "Would you be interested if we played _Nar Shaddaa_ rules?"

Atton grinned lecherously at her and Evy glared at him before slapping him in the face rather forcefully, drawing the attention of Indy and Han. 

"Ouch! Dammit! What the hell was that for!" he shouted, as he rubbed his sore cheek, staring at her in disbelief.

"You're disgusting," spat Evy, as she got up from the table and stomped off to one of the dormitories.

"What did I do wrong!" Atton asked, as he raised his hands in the air in confusion. Indy and Han just rolled their eyes at him, before continuing their interrupted card game.

Atton left the table as he followed Evy into the dormitory, apparently wanting to have a word with her. He stood in the doorway, observing her for a moment as she began unpacking her belongings, apparently trying to vent her frustration by organizing her things… Atton noted that she often seemed to fall into this pattern.

"Get away from me, Atton," said Evy threateningly, not bothering to look up at him.

"What the hell is your problem!" asked Atton, as he stepped into the room. "Sometimes I just don't understand you…"

"Yeah, well I could say the same thing about you, Atton. Just get out of this room and leave me alone, okay? I don't want to talk right now…"

Being stubborn as always, Atton took a few steps closer to her, closing the distance between them. Evy still wouldn't meet his eyes, as she continued to unpack her belongings from her bag.

"Just tell me what your problem is," said Atton, as he continued to observe her intently. "I mean, you're so damn confusing! Why do you act the way you do, huh? What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?"

When she didn't meet his gaze, he gave a sigh of frustration and his temper began to flare.

"Hey, are you even listening to me? I'm talking to you!"

Evy still didn't bother acknowledging him, and Atton actually snatched her backpack from her hands in order to get her attention.

"Hey give that back!" she yelled, as she made a futile attempt at getting her bag back.

"Not until you start talking…" said Atton coolly, as he held the pack above his head, far above her reach.

"Give it back…_now_…" she threatened, and a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. When Atton didn't cooperate, she made one swift movement and managed to hit a weak point in Atton's arm, causing the pack to fall from his hands. In a state of semi-shock from her amazingly quick reflexes, Atton's gaze fell to the ground where he had heard a metallic clink as the backpack fell. To his surprise, a familiar-looking cylindrical weapon had rolled out from its hiding place within the bag…

_A lightsaber…_

Evy paled a shade, feeling rather nauseous as Atton glanced from the exposed weapon to the woman standing before him. His jaw was hanging slightly open, and he seemed to struggle for words for several awkward moments, as silence fell between them…

"Where… where did you get that?" he asked, finally breaking the deafening silence.

Evy's dropped her head as she took a deep breath in attempt to calm herself.

"Leave, now, Atton," she stated firmly.

"But, where—"

"Now, Atton! Leave me alone! Just get away from me!"

Her voiced raised threateningly as she screamed at him, releasing her anger and frustration, and Atton actually felt a tinge of fear from the seemingly innocent nurse. He had underestimated something about this women… and he could sense it. As he gave once last lingering glance at the weapon upon the floor, Atton exited the room silently and left Evy in peace. Once she was finally alone, Evy picked up the lightsaber and gently held it in her hands, as she sat down upon her bed and began to sob quietly.

----------------

The results of Igrayne's meditation were more promising than the last time she had called upon the Force for guidance. She was no longer the clumsy, bumbling Force-sensitive she once was; nor was she an adept by any stretch of the imagination. She was comfortably aware of her powers and how to manipulate them to achieve the ends she desired.

Her meditative stance also made her more alert to the feelings stirring between Carina and Mical, which had earned her disapproval. Carina had sworn, upon entering the medical service as a nurse, that she severed all ties with her past. Now that Mical had returned, it was easy to see that those ties were far from dissolved.

Who could blame her? Mical was, in every way, perfect for her. A real gentleman, well-groomed, eloquent, and knowledgeable about all matters. He was the most perfect mate she could have chosen for herself, but that didn't dismiss the problem of their divergent lives.

"Do you hear something?" Carina asked, as Rayne burst into the room with both blasters out. She pointed one at Carina's head and balanced her thumb on the trigger.

"All right, doll, get up with your hands in the air. I don't want any tricks from you."

Carina scowled but did as the mercenary commanded. Rayne deactivated the Force cage and slapped a pair of binders on her before herding her out of the room to the waiting transport. She commed Canderous to tell him they were going to be running a little late.

"Force, woman!" the voice on the other end of the comm link growled throatily. "Admiral Karath's not the kind of man you want to keep waiting. Nor am I."

Rayne brushed her thumb against the comm link with a devious grin. She had a small scar that wrinkled with every nuance, every facial expression.

"That's not what you said last night..."

"Cute," the voice on the other end replied, "But now's not the time."

"It never is," Rayne said gloomily, before breaking the transmission. She took Mical out next and then came last for Igrayne, who was curled up in a ball on the floor of her Force cage. She was shivering and matted down in sweat.

"What's the ma...hey!" Rayne said, rolling Igrayne over on her back. She had manipulated the Force to send her into a cold sweat. This way, she would have a chance to fight back—even if it wasn't much of one.

"Ordo, we have a sick one," she said, whipping out the comm link to transmit the message. The Mandalorian groaned in response.

"Just do what you can to get her here. We'll deal with it _later_."

Rayne tried wrapping her arms underneath Igrayne's armpits to drag her out of the cage, at which point she rolled out across the floor.

"Damnit," Rayne cursed as she tried to busy herself by lifting Igrayne up, which was proving an even more difficult feat than she had anticipated. Rayne turned and left the room momentarily, the door wide open. Igrayne took it as her queue to make a break for it.

She began to bolt out the door, then remembered her friends. Carina and Mical were still aboard the nearby ship waiting to take them to the _Leviathan_, Saul Karath's vessel. She couldn't leave them, but she wouldn't be much help to them if she was captured.

She tiptoed off around the corner, checking carefully to be sure Rayne was nowhere around. Satisfied with her quick search of the perimeter, Igrayne ran out of the tiny apartment the mercenaries had been shacking up in the last few days. The whole room was littered with trash, as though a party had just taken place.

She was almost out the door...she could feel the ripple in the Force, alerting her to the fact that Rayne was returning to search for her. She quickly hid behind a crate when she heard heavy footsteps come trudging up behind her.

Her breath snagged in her throat as Rayne stopped and cased the place. For the first time since she had seen the mercenary, she looked distraught.

Rayne exited the room, giving her a moment's peace. She closed her eyes and began calling him again...

_Bao, hear me._

This time, there was no answer. It was as though there was a blockage in the Force, as though some unseen being was physically obstructing her from making a connection. She touched a hand to her brow and began to sob quietly.

Would this hell never end?

-------------------

Mical, Carina, Rayne, and Canderous walked in silence...which was preferable to Carina at the present moment. What had gotten into her earlier? She should have known better than to...than to just ignore the imaginary rules of proximity she'd made up for herself.

She'd probably given Mical the wrong idea...and now she'd never be able to let it go. Great...just great. They continued to walk, hands in stun-cuffs and blaster nozzles to their backs. They'd have no opportunity to escape, and the prospect of meeting Saul Karath was not at all pleasant.

Luckily, Igrayne seemed to have escaped...and that gave her hope. It gave _them_ hope. Wherever Igrayne had seemingly disappeared to didn't matter. As long as she was alive, she could possibly free them or, at the very least, escape with her life.

After a bit of a walk, the two prisoners were shoved into a Force cage that did not allow them to use their powers—even if they could or did have them. Carina glared one last time at Rayne's retreating figure. Curse her for throwing her into a predicament like this.  
---------------------

Igrayne snuck around the small interior the the ship, looking for something—anything—that would help them out. She found nothing to her dismay, but kept searching in vague hope that she might be able to contact someone.

She only hoped that Mical and Carina would be ok until then...

_Bao? Please answer me._

There was, yet again, no response.  
-----------------------

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Carina replied briskly.

Silence fell between them, as it had been doing often lately. Mical had the distinct feeling that Carina was feeling guilty about kissing him and he, being the good person that he was, felt the need to apologize. Too bad Carina beat him to it.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I shouldn't have done that."

"I—"

"No, it was completely my fault. I take full responsibility for it," Carina said, raising an imperious hand to silence him. "We decided not to take that road long ago."

Mical was darkly disappointed but said nothing.

"I hope we can still be friends," she offered.

He nodded and smiled weakly. "Of course."

"Okay, good."

Carina smiled, obviously pleased with settling the feelings between them. But how long would they stay dormant? She knew that she was not going to be able to hold her feelings back if she stuck around with him any longer...

She loved him too much to do that.

Rayne returned, blasters held, and plopped down on the desk before them nonchalantly. There was a bruise now on her face, yet she was somewhat smiling... which was a lot for a woman who'd been raised Mandalorian. Canderous entered after her, a bloodied lip and a cut on his forehead, looking dejected.

"All right, after a little bit of careful discussion..." she began, looking up to Canderous who was massaging his jaw. Her smile widened. "I found it to be in my best interests that maybe I should offer you guys a proposition."

Carina looked up at her, not convinced. "And we should believe you _why?_"

Rayne walked up to the cage and shrugged.

"Well, if you'd like to stay cooped up in there while stirring over old marital problems before being handed over to the Sith...so be it."

She turned to Canderous and smiled. "Come on, Ordo, let's go get some food."

Carina looked at her with disdain and a bit of confusion. _How could she have known? She hasn't been around and the room isn't bugged._ There as something this woman wasn't letting them in on... Good thing for her that Mical stopped her.

"Wait! Perhaps we could hear you out," the blonde said in cautious tones. Rayne clasped her hands with happiness and gave Canderous an "I told you so" glare before turning back around and reentering.

"All right, see here little Force sheep. I _hate_ Sith... not just because they're cheap and they battle without honor, but they just kinda suck. Too smug for all the wrong reasons, and for the credits they're cracking out for this operation, I could hawk one of my blasters for more."

She turned back to them and looked over at Carina. "We'll turn this thing around and take you to your friends if you do me just one favor."

At this she whispered something to Carina, nodded towards Canderous, and then put her finger to her lips in order to keep her silent. Carina's jaw dropped.

"What do you say?"

For a moment, she couldn't think of a reply. She had a question of her own before she could even trust her.

"How couldn't I have known?" she quizzed. Rayne pointed to her belt... it looked a lot like a sound dampening stealth unit. _Force buffer, my friend. The old man doesn't know and I'd rather keep it that way. Plus, I was playing with Jedi. It was a weakness,_ she said into her mind. 

"Cage," was all she said, giving her the other reason. The Force cage would have blocked anything further.

"Listen... I'll let you guys talk it over while I 'fill' the big guy in," she said, winking before exiting the room. _Besides... I can't let what happened to Ordo and myself happen to such young kids._

When they were gone, Mical turned to her.

"Well, what were her conditions?" he pondered. Carina just stared at him, her eyes still glassy with surprise.

"I have to work things out with you."

--------------------

Rani sat in the copilot's seat while Carth piloted the _Centurion's Blade_. Her mind was running a mile a minute. Mostly, she was worried about her captured friends. It was hard on her, after all, she had told herself that she was beginning a fresh life after the bombing of Telos, and some of the very people who were forming the center of this new existence, were gone…taken from her again. 

"Stop worrying, beautiful," Carth said, interrupting her thoughts, "we'll find them."

Rani wanted more than anything to speak to Carth, tell him everything she was feeling, anger, worry, sorrow, guilt, love…but they were hardly alone and Carth had to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I think I'm going to go check on the others," Rani replied with a faux smile.

"All right, gorgeous."

In the main hold, Rani found Indy and Han giving each other death stares over their game of Sabaac.

_Those two take that game way too seriously_, she thought, slightly amused.

In the other corner, Atton sat, with unfocused eyes, mindlessly shuffling his Pazaak cards. Rani was in no mood to try and talk to the man, after all, he didn't trust her, and she certainly didn't trust him. _He even cheats at Pazaak_, she thought, mildly bitter over losing every single game they played.

Rani decided to find Evy, after all Igrayne and Carina were closer friends to her than to Rani. It might help them both to feel better if they talked about it. Rani made her way over to the dormitory that Evy was occupying. The door was closed, and Rani was just about to call through the door when she heard Evy crying softly.

_Oh, my Force, I had no idea she was this upset about our friends. She seemed to be handling it so well…unless…Atton, that little bantha-lover!_

Rani stormed back into the main hold, thoroughly furious that Atton upset Evy.

"You, me, cargo hold, now!" she barked at Atton. 

"Last time a woman said that to me, she had the ride of her life," Atton replied, leering. Then he registered the enraged look on Rani's face. "On second thought, let's go." Something about extremely mad women made Atton feel uneasy, plus Evy's apparent secret had him wary of everyone.

As soon as they made it to the cargo hold, Rani spun around to face Atton.

"I'll deal with you when Evy is enjoying your company, hell, I'll even tolerate you when she's annoyed with you, but I will NOT put up with you upsetting her!"

"What are you gonna do, have your boyfriend punch me again?" Atton shot back, wondering what sort of threat such a prissy woman could be.

"Oh no, Atton, although I can't say I wasn't a little amused to see that," Rani said, her expression darkening. "Instead, I'm going to have your sorry ass dropped at the nearest shithole there is."

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Atton asked, masking his surprise at the change in the usually sweet-tempered Rani.

Rani breathed out deeply, seemingly releasing all the anger that had built up in her. "Look Atton, I saw you on Iridonia trying to break into that storage room."

Atton took in a sharp intake of air. _Have I gotten that sloppy?_

Rani continued, "I don't want Evy to get hurt, I don't want you jeopardizing what we are trying to do here, and I don't trust you. I lost everything when the Sith bombed Telos, and I will do anything to protect what I have now."

Atton found it hard to believe that, just moments earlier, he had been almost frightened of the young woman. She looked so vulnerable now, her large dark eyes wide with despair and filling with tears. He couldn't help but feel compassion towards her.

Indy, who had seen them walk into the cargo hold and momentarily abandoned Han and their card game, poked her head in.

"You guys aren't looking for my stash of booze are you?" she asked and eyed them wearily.

The discussion they had was forgotten when Atton suddenly asked, "Willing to tell me where it is?"

Indy just looked at him blankly, and then answered, "It's for... special occasions..."

Atton shrugged and walked out of the cargo hold, his eyes searching for anything that might reveal the location of the hidden alcohol. When he was gone, Indy approached Rani.

"Whats going on?" she asked with a jerk of her head in the direction that Atton had disappeared.

Rani fidgeted a bit, and then slowly answered, "I was just...pointing out to him that I...don't trust him."

Indy fixed a disbelieving stare at her. "What do you mean? Anyone who _does_ trust him is mental. He's the kinda guy you pick up in a shady cantina, have a nice night with, and in the morning you find out he's stolen all your credits."

She shrugged. "So, you willing to tell me what you really said to him?"

-----------------

"You what?" Mical queried, completely confused.

Carina sighed. "I have to work things out with you."

Mical straightened himself up a bit. "I don't believe that should be too difficult. Have we not already come to an agreement?"

"Don't make this harder than it already is, Mical," she said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm not sure I understand—" Mical began.

"Yes, you do! You do understand!" Carina cried out in frustration. Something about being sold to the Sith was starting to look like a pretty tantalizing offer. Anything, at the present moment, seemed preferable to talking with Mical.

"If this is about—"

"You know what it's about! Stop pretending that you don't! I just..." She sighed in frustration and threw her arms up. "Why'd you have to come with the team?"

"Excuse me?" Mical replied, slightly hurt.

"I mean, out of everyone in the Republic...they send _you_." _Someone must really hate me out there,_ Carina thought bitterly to herself.

Mical's features hardened a bit. "I have already apologized for everything. What more is it that you require of me?"

Carina turned sharply to face him. This man seemed oblivious to everything she said. He had no clue—not even a single comprehendible thought—about how much control he held over her. He had no clue about anything. He just…_didn't understand_!

"I don't require anything of you, Mical! I don't want your pity. I don't _want_ anything from you," Carina explained.

Mical stared blankly at her. "Then how can I help you?"

"You can't! Didn't it ever cross your mind that maybe I don't want to be helped?" She paused, letting the words sink in. "You can't save everyone, Mical, especially from themselves."

"I don't understand where you're getting at," Mical confessed.

Carina leaned against the cage wall and hung her head. "You never did," she mumbled inaudibly.

Mical took a cautious step forward. "I don't know what the problem is. If I did, perhaps I could fix it. I apologize if I've…_offended_ you. I didn't know."

Carina looked up, making direct eye contact with the blonde doctor. "Do you remember?"

Mical instantly knew what she was talking about. "Yes."

"Then you, of all people, should know why I just want to be left alone," Carina said, on the verge of tears. Why didn't people just leave her alone? Why did she continually make attachments with people forbidden to her?

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Mical said in a soothing tone.

"Just because you tell a murderer that it wasn't their fault doesn't make it any less true," Carina retorted in a hushed tone. "Those innocent people died. Because of me. Because of the…the Jedi. I didn't want any part of that then…or now! I was hurting, Mical! I was hurting and didn't know what to do or whom to turn to!"

Mical remained silent.

"It was a mistake!" She finished, her voice holding a deeper pain along with her words. "Me…you…it was a mistake."

Mical's face showed no initial shock, but his eyes held an unseen pain. He opened his mouth to say something but then shut it just as quickly, avoiding her penetrating gaze. Being around death constantly, Mical was pretty resilient and kept his emotions in check—but at the moment, he was finding that his training was leaving him.

Carina closed her eyes to avoid looking at him and called to Rayne who entered as quickly as she had left previously. Carina took a breath and explained to Rayne that they'd settled their 'differences.' Rayne obviously didn't believe and Mical's silence didn't help, but she nodded anyway.

"Fine. Besides, it'd just be hurting the both of you in the long run anyway," Rayne said, shrugging and releasing them. "Oh, and if you see your little escapee friend…tell her we have her Zabrak friend."

Carina gaped at her, which was followed by a chuckle from Rayne.

"Apparently the Sith are willing to pay quite a lot for that one," she continued.

"You're despicable," she said and spat into Rayne's face.

Rayne scowled and pushed her back, aiming a blaster at her face. Carina didn't even blink, but smiled, knowing it'd infuriate her even more.

"Do it. I dare you," Carina said, raising an eyebrow.

Rayne's scowl deepened. "I gave you a chance for freedom and this is the way you treat me? Gee, real appreciative."

"It's not freedom if you keep my friends locked up like animals," Carina countered.

Rayne just looked at her before hitting her roughly in the head with the butt of her gun. Carina collapsed, and Mical began to move to help her instinctively before the gun was pointed at him.

"You…follow me," Rayne ordered. "And no funny business or your broad dies. Get it?"

Mical nodded with his teeth clenched. If only there was some possible way for escape or to distract her…

"She had her chance…and quite frankly, she's pissing me off. If I didn't know she was a Jedi. I would've thought her a Sith by her attitude."

"It isn't her fault," Mical mumbled, mainly to himself, then added silently, _It's mine._

--------------------

"Stay out of it, Indy," Rani retorted. What was with everyone trying to figure out everyone else's business on this ship?

"Hey, cool your fighter engines. You act like I just insulted your precious Admiral."

Rani could have sworn that she heard Han snicker, but he covered it with a cough.

"I'll have you know that—"

Just then, she was halted by Atton getting up abruptly and heading towards where Evy was. She was tempted to follow, but thought the better of it and instead continued her little argument with Indy.

Meanwhile, Evy sat crying her eyes out. For some reason, just the sight of her lightsaber made her lose it. It was like she was reliving _his_ death all over again. No matter how hard she shut her eyes or blocked the memory out, it seemed to keep bubbling to the surface…as did Atton.

She cursed his name silently. How dare he? _How dare he!_ He had no right to look so much like him! Every time she looked at him, she saw _him_. Her hands just shook every time she was near Atton, and she couldn't stand it. She couldn't—wouldn't—go through that again.

And that kiss. That kiss that had sent her spiraling back to her moments with Jeran, the man she'd loved. The man who'd died. She winced at the memory and continued to cry her eyes out before she heard some heavy footsteps approaching.

She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. _Jeran!_ But no…she'd done it again—gone and thought that Atton was Jeran, her old lover. Atton looked as guilty as if he'd just blown up a massive ship filled with innocent people. What brought that image to her mind?

"What do you want?" she hissed at him.

"I want to…apologize," he choked out. "Sorry if I upsetted you about something."

"First off, 'upsetted' isn't even a word."

Atton pondered this for a moment and shrugged.

"Secondly, it's not really your fault."

"Okay, good…cause your friend was threatening to jettison me off the ship and I—" Atton stopped midsentence and noticed her red eyes. "You all right?"

Evy was actually a bit touched by the tender sentiment. "No, Atton, I am not all right."

"Uh…is there…anything I can do?" He offered uncomfortably.

"Maybe," she answered automatically. _Damnit, girl, get ahold of yourself! This isn't Jeran! Jeran died! This is some stupid scoundrel. You'll get burned if you play with fire._

"Actually, no."

"Well, which one is it, Babe?" Atton asked, raising an eyebrow and moving towards her.

Evy stood. "No, you can't help me. I'm fine…just a little tired, is all."

"Uh-huh," Atton said absentmindedly. He was mentally slapping himself for becoming attracted to such a troubled woman. She was too much like himself—and that was definitely something to be worried about.

He took another step closer to her.

"Really. I am fine. It's the whole nurse thing…it gets tiring," she said, oblivious to him moving closer.

"I bet," he said quietly.

He moved even closer; he was almost right in front of her now.

"I should be getting back to…" She lost her train of thought due to the close proximity of the scoundrel. The very…attractive and…sexy…cute…scoundrel… "…Something."

Atton leaned in close to her, his mouth hovering just above her own. "Really, now? What would that something be?"

His warm breath tickled her senses and she became aware that it was suddenly getting very hot in here. She moved to get away but he caught her in his embrace and she surrendered to his passionate kiss, letting him explore her mouth for a bit before she managed to come to her senses. He had such a power over her, and that frightened her.

The look in his eyes scared her as well. His eyes showed the unsated desire hidden within and she quickly looked away, blushing furiously. Atton smiled and let her go, walking off…immensely proud of how much power he indeed held over her.

Evy mentally kicked herself…again…and again…

--------------------

"Coruscant: home base to the Galaxy," Carth said, relieved at making it to the planet with little trouble. "We'll contact the Republic as soon as time allows and then go try and find our friends."

Rani sat beside him, avoiding the gaze he constantly tossed at her. After their little incident in the bedroom, Rani had been quite uncomfortable around him. The thought of what could have happened had they not been interrupted tempted and teased her.

They'd been close, both of them, to surrendering to their desire and lust. Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how one looked at it—they were stopped before the passion overpowered them, leading them to do something they both would have regretted.

The ship went in for a landing, and everyone was immediately escorted to their own private suite in honor for their heroics on Telos. Carth went to talk with the head representative of the Republic, and everyone else was left to do as they pleased.

What Rani wanted to do was speak with Carth. If he did, indeed, have feelings for her, she wanted to know about them and get them out in the open. Keeping everything bottled up would be bad for both of them in the long run.

When Carth finally arrived, she managed to catch up with him and his hasty walk.

"Hey, Carth? Can we…uh, talk for a moment?"

"Sure thing," he said as they walked into his room and he closed the door. "Got something on your mind?"

"Actually, yes. It's about…the other night," she began tentatively.

Carth seemed to blush a little. "Ah, yes. I figured as much."

"Do you love me?" she blurted out, unable to contain herself. She immediately threw her hands to her mouth.

Carth chuckled at her embarrassment. "Don't worry, Gorgeous, slight slip of the tongue never hurt anyone."

_But it's brought a lot of pleasure to others…_ Rani thought lecherously.

"Oh, yeah…sorry."

"As to your question, I don't know."

"You don't know what I asked or you don't know if you love me?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that—"

"Cause, I mean…we hardly know each other…"

"I agree. I think—"

"I understand that you just lost your wife and son and that maybe I'm just an outlet for that pain, but if so…could you please tell me?"

"Whoa…I didn't—"

"I knew it!" Rani shrieked. "You do have feelings for me, don't you? I see it in your eyes!"

"I care for you, sure…but—"

"Carth, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have brought up the subject…I shouldn't have done a lot of things. I'm so sorry! I just—"

Carth quickly embraced her and planted a soft kiss on her lips, and she leaned into the kiss, absorbing Carth's taste and smell. He always smelled so good.

"You talk too much and too fast sometimes, you know that, Beautiful?" Carth smiled. "Shall we go to dinner before we go risking our lives for our friends?"

Rani was in shock but managed to say, "Calm before the storm, eh?"

Carth offered her his arm. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	9. Trip to the Jedi Enclave

After jettisoning one of the escape pods on the mercenaries' ship out into space, Igrayne watched the stars streak by through the viewport. Her head was growing dizzy from spinning as she fell back to the planet below, landing straight in the lake surrounding an official-looking building. She blew open the emergency hatch and got a speeder to tow her in.

Getting a medium-sized transport offworld fast wasn't the least of Igrayne's problems. First she had to deal with bartering with an old Rodian on close to no credits, then order some security papers for clearance. In short, her day was going horribly.

She was about to give up hope of ever getting offworld when she was approached by an odd-looking man with black hair and a scar weaving down one side of his face, over the bridge of his nose to the tip of his curled lip.

"Psst!" he said, trying not to appear too conspicuous and failing miserably. Igrayne followed him to the side of the cantina, from which a cacophony of music was bubbling. A musician rode a riff on a red ball organ, while the discordant sound of kloo horns filled the air. Igrayne winced from the assault on her senses.

"Heard you're lookin' for passage offworld."

"I have that all arranged," Igrayne said. She narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "And _besides_, I don't know who you are and how you know so much about me."

"Doesn't matter," the man said, pulling his tattered cloak closer about his face so she couldn't get a good look at him. "All that matter's is I got what you want."

"You think so, do you?"

"Yeah. Meet me in the old shipyard by the starport in three hours. I think we can work something out."

Curious as to what this arrangement was, Igrayne was about to ask him for further information. But when she looked up, her informant had gone, disappeared into the bevy of faces surrounding her. She bustled her way through the crowd, headed for the cantina to get a drink.

Several hours later, after finishing her drink, she exited _The Wailing Bantha_ and made sure she wasn't being followed, her first and foremost priority. The place looked clear, so she proceeded toward the starport. Merchants and smugglers were peacefully loading and unloading their ships in the docking bay, and many more were queued up for landing.

Igrayne ducked into the crowd and propped herself up against a pillar on the outside of the palatial building. The noise was near-deafening; she had to keep her eyes peeled to be sure she didn't miss her informant.

A tap on her shoulder drew her from her reverie. She focused her blank-eyed stare on the man standing before her, the same man she had seen before. He beckoned her to follow him around to the shipyard, where several ships were being deconstructed for parts and scrapped. The enclosure surrounding it was entirely fenced-in with wire, and at the far end stood a modest-looking ship.

"You'll give me a good deal on it?" Igrayne queried.

"Very good deal. Five hundred thousand credits."

"What?" Igrayne croaked, realizing how loud she had spouted the word. "That's crazy. That's more than I'd be paying if I went with my other broker."

"But your other broker can't get you your papers," the man said deviously. He scrounged around through his pocket, producing the needed documents. Igrayne eyed them hungrily. It was a fairly good deal, considering all that he was offering. It would save her time and money just to accept him rather than run around trying to find her own papers, which might take days, or even months.

"Why are you so eager to help me?" Igrayne inquired. The man immediately shoved the clearance papers back in his pocket.

"I'm eager to _turn a profit_."

"That's what I thought."

She nodded, her mind made up at last.

"Fine. You'll have your money. I'll wire transfer it to your bank account first thing tomorrow."

"No. I need it _now_," the man said, "I can't take your word. It might be as _good_ as dirt, for all I know."

Igrayne crossed her arms over her chest, affronted.

"Oh, sure, cause I look like the type to cheat you out of credits."

"Lady, it's five hundred thousand transferred to my account right now, or _no dice_."

"Fine, fine," Igrayne said, relenting. "I'll call my accountant and have it wired to you right now."

She hated using her comm link and transferring her access signal out to all sectors of the galaxy, especially with the mercenaries looking for her. They must have realized by now that she jettisoned their one remaining escape pod.

She dialed into the bank and had the money transferred before the man handed over the papers. It was all too easy.

Once onboard, Igrayne sat down and seated herself at the controls.

_Damnit._

For all her efforts, she had forgotten that she didn't know how to man the controls. She'd need a first-rate pilot to fly even a simple, KDY-class cruiser such as this. That was one detail she'd forgotten in her haste to get offworld.

Igrayne lowered her hands over the navicomputer, activating the switch that brought the gears to life.

_This isn't so hard._

The very same words had coursed through her mind the last time she'd attempted to fly a speeder, and _that_ had ended up planted in the side of a Corellian building. She'd had two very unhappy officials to answer to that day.

Thankfully, her nurse's training taught her to keep her brain active, so she tested each of the switches to learn what they did and how they functioned with the rest of the ship. It didn't take long for her to get the hang of things, so she moved the speeder out of the empty shipyard and onto the docking platform to prepare for liftoff.

As expected, her first liftoff was rather bumpy, as though she were learning how to ride a speederbike for the first time. Within minutes, she had the hang of things. She eased the tiny ship through the planet's atmosphere and into the black vastness of space.

She thought about putting the ship on autopilot and catching some sleep, but decided it wasn't wise with two mercenaries on her tail. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, concentrating. This wasn't as easy as when she had total peace and quiet...

_General._

She hadn't even spoken his name, but he came to her as though she had verbally called him, which she had not. Igrayne's hands clamped down on the armrests of her chair, intensifying the connection for as much as she could.

Dantooine. He was on Dantooine.

So, he was alive after all. The few times she'd had interaction with Rayne, she woman had suggested to her that the Zabrak might be in danger, possibly even a captive of theirs. But she supposed they were using that lie as leverage, to get her to turn herself over completely to them.

Igrayne plotted a course for the fabled site of the Jedi Enclave, punching in a bunch of coordinates to the navicomputer to let the ship do the rest of the work. She sat back, easing herself into her seat of command, as the ship buzzed into hyperspace. She closed her eyes as a force exerted itself over her body and then gave way to the cool, slipping feeling of breaking through the barrier into the Dantooine system.

The planet lingered near, one perfect, glowing orb. The ship's forward thrust increased as though by instinct. Igrayne felt almost dread as she watched the planet draw nearer. Dantooine was home to a whole host of Jedi, but, beyond that, only the dregs of humanity remained. Mercenaries, bounty hunters and other such scum roamed the land freely, with no care to the planet's precious life.

The ship glided into port just beyond a wall of the Jedi Enclave. Igrayne registered it with the official who greeted her on her arrival, then trudged down the long path toward the Enclave. She could feel his presence there, almost overpoweringly so. She wondered if a Force bond had been forged between them somehow, but she also knew that such things took a great amount of trauma to occur. They had never suffered such trauma, unless...

She remembered Malachor V. The ships dying, being detonated in the sky like a brilliant laser light show. The last of the fleet dying; all her friends and officers from the fleet now presumed dead. An immense sadness had overcome her. And _he_ had been there. Watching her. Waiting. He didn't speak. He didn't have to.

She looked at him, but said nothing. Just a simple nod of the head spoke volumes to him. Who was this tech who could understand her so well on one level, yet know almost nothing about her on another?

Igrayne approached the earthen embankment that was covered like a burrow by grass and sculpted trees. It had the feeling of sinking into the ground beneath it, like a little, fortified hole.

After approaching the berm, Igrayne knocked once, lightly, and waited. It wasn't long before a young novice came to the door and demanded to know who she was.

"What's your business here?"

_I've come to see Bao-Dur!_ she thought, but knew that answer wouldn't suffice.

"I wish to speak with the Jedi Masters."

"No-one sees the Jedi Masters," the boy snickered. He couldn't have been any more than seventeen or eighteen, could he?

"Lady Igrayne of Kuat," she said, using an alias, the name she had taken after Malachor. That name was her ticket in. It had been so much easier to slip into that role, so the Jedi wouldn't track her down. Even now, standing before the threshold, she was unsure she wanted to cross it again.

But, cross it, she did. She followed the young novice through a winding hallway where other Jedi were training and exercising. It was a magnificent sight to behold; she couldn't remember a time when she had last felt so happy.

The Jedi deposited her into a small, dank chamber to wait for an audience with the Jedi Master. She tapped her foot on the floor and walked around to examine her surroundings. Not much of anything captured her interest. Then the door opened.

In walked an official-looking man, his age-stooped shoulders and gray-streaked hair making him seem wise beyond his years. She didn't know what to do so she did the first thing she could think of: bow.

The man waved a hand.

"None of that. Get up."

Igrayne did as she was commanded, curling her hands into fists. She wanted to feel more protected around this man. She knew what Jedi were like, and that they would stop at nothing to rape the minds of others if it suited their purposes.

"I am..."

"Igrayne of Kuat. Yes, I know," the man said dismissively. He seemed impatient, as if he had more important business to attend.

"You were a nurse, I'm told."

_And a General before that,_ Igrayne thought, though she didn't voice it aloud. This man obviously didn't know her, and she preferred to keep it that way.

"Yes. I worked with the Republic when Telos was bombed; and again, with Iridonia."

"These are unfortunate times we live in," the man said, pacing slowly to take in every aspect of her appearance. She felt as though she were being studied like a diagram, for faults and flaws. She forced herself to stand a little straighter.

"I am Master Vrook," the man said. "We've been waiting for you."

_Whoa, waiting for me?_

"I'm sorry?" Igrayne asked in non-understanding.

"I know you must have a great many questions. But, who better to answer them than an old compatriot of yours?"

"Bao-Dur's here!" Igrayne said enthusiastically. The old man nodded, a proverbial glint in his eye.

"Yes. We had a young Zabrak technician come to us within the last week for training. He has been taken on as a padawan to Master Vandar. He notified me that you would be coming."

_He knew I would find him. He knew I would come all this way. It was destined to be...  
_  
"Well, he's mistaken. I _don't_ want to be a padawn. I don't even want to be a Jedi! All I'm doing is looking for my friend," Igrayne stated matter-of-factly.

Vrook laced his hands together over his stomach.

"Then, you've come here under false pretenses."

"I never claimed to want to learn the ways of the Force," Igrayne contended.

"Yet, some part of you yearns to harness its power, to become one with its teachings."

Vrook seated himself as he said this, surveying her visible change of emotion. She felt like an open book before him. None of her thoughts were sacred any longer.

"I must confess, I've entertained the idea once or twice..."

"Dispense with your fear," Vrook commanded, "There is no place for it here. This is a place of knowledge and learning, and acceptance. Not for fear. The Sith feed off fear. Like a hunger, they devour _everything_..."

He closed his eyes as he said this, meditating the words. He looked to be in a deep trance when Igrayne asked,

"With all due respect, sir, I have duties to attend. I'm a nurse, and I have patients to take care of. I don't have the time or the inclination to give myself up to the Jedi teachings. I only want to find my friend."

Vrook extended one long hand in the opposite direction.

"You will find him in there."

She followed his directive into the simple training room opposite the audience chamber. When she walked in, there were a few deactivated training droids lining the walls, a few lightsaber pieces lying half-constructed on a workplace. And in the center of all the chaos, Bao-Dur knelt, both hands braced on each of his knees.

He was meditating, but her sudden entrance disturbed him. He immediately opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at her.

"General."

"Bao," she said, trying to sound nonplussed. There was no mistaking the undeniable snag in her chest, or the little skip in her heart at seeing the Zabrak well and in good health.

His remote lay beside him, deactivated.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Igrayne began. What a stupid comment. She hoped the Zabrak wouldn't see past it to the longing buried deep inside of her. At the most, all she could hope for was an ephemeral moment with him.

"I didn't expect to find _you_ here, General," the Zabrak said with a note of amusement in his otherwise flat voice.

"Yeah, well, I followed my mind."

"I knew you would."

He smiled, and so did she. Her cheeks felt unusually flushed. Bao-Dur moved toward her, motioning her to come join him on the mat underneath.

"Meditate with me. The Jedi have taught me many things in my time here."

"All right."

Where was the harm in having a little meditation time? Igrayne complied, creeping to her knees next to the Zabrak before moving into a fetal position. She felt more free and open curled up in a little ball, though the Zabrak seemed to think it strange.

It was becoming increasingly harder to concentrate with Bao-Dur around. She tried to look interested in what she was doing, but it wasn't working. He must have been succeeding in his meditation objective, but she certainly wasn't. She sincerely hoped he didn't notice, that he was too wrapped up in what he was doing to care.

"I thought Rayne might have captured you...or worse...you'd been killed," she said, after doing a few stretching exercises. She only realized later what a full and complete view it gave Bao-Dur of her backside. He didn't seem to pay any attention, or if he did, it wasn't overtly so.

"You _knew_ that wasn't true, General," the Zabrak said with such utter conviction that she had to agree with him.

She nodded, returning to a meditative position.

"Yes."

The Zabrak seemed very focused on his breathing. In fact, it seemed as though he were breathing very little.

"It's all so strange, you know. _You_, a Jedi..."

He smiled at her.

"Yeah, well, it just figures I'd have something better to channel all my energy into now."

_What energy?_ Igrayne wondered what he was talking about.

"You told the Master that I was going to become a Jedi?"

"I said no such thing. I told him you were coming to speak with me. He must have sensed that you were _special_."

He said this with such reverence that Igrayne had to blush at the veiled compliment.

"Bao, stop it. I'm no more special than you are."

"Oh, but you are. The others may not call you a Jedi, but you are. It's not the sort of thing you just stop being. You're stuck with it, just like you're stuck being called 'the General.'"

Igrayne's mind was reeling with dozens of unanswered questions.

"Wait a minute...hold on one second. Me...a Jedi?"

The Zabrak seemed sad at the lack of recognition in her words.

"You truly don't remember?"

"Nothing much," Igrayne began, reciting the painful memories like a prayer. "I remember the ships, and you, standing on the bridge. The world around me went black, and after that, I couldn't remember a thing."

Bao-Dur's eyes looked shyly to the ground as she said this.

"The look you gave me...it was the longest you'd ever looked at me."

Igrayne tugged her knees up to her chest and tucked her chin over them. It was easier to feel safe when she wasn't bombarded by all the discordant emotions and voices in her head.

"Those are days I'd rather forget, Bao-Dur. I'd appreciate it if we never again speak of them."

"Yes, General," he said with a note of sadness in his voice. He watched her do her stretching exercises and paused a moment, putting a hand on her arm.

"If you'll allow me, General, I'd like to show you a few _techniques_ I use."

Igrayne raised her eyebrow at the proposition, then went to join him on the floor. He knelt and she copied his position, aping every movement of his down to the subtle nuances of his hand gestures. He proceeded to go through a line of breathing exercises and then physical exercises. During the course of this, he looked at her over his shoulder.

"Still thinking of not becoming a Jedi?"

Igrayne was out of breath and panting.

"Well, according to _you_, I'm _already_ one!"

"True, General, but that talent needs tapping."

"I suppose you're right. There's no harm in it," she said, "But I want to help my friends. I can't stay here forever when I know that Carina and Mical are in trouble."

"What of it?" Bao-Dur demanded. "Are they hurt?"

"No, but they may very well be if I don't act soon."

He nodded slowly, deliberately.

"Well, of course, you should do what you must...to insure their survival, I mean."

Igrayne nodded. Well, that was that. Did this mean she would be parting from him once again, leaving the Enclave to go rescue the others with a little, beat-up scrap ship? It wasn't exactly the kind of ship that warranted saving.

"How about a round of sparring?" Bao-Dur suggested. She looked concerned at his suggestion. "Don't worry, no weapons."

This met with her approval. Igrayne nodded, chancing a glance at the deactivated remote.

"Thank the Force the little guy's off, or you guys might be tag-teaming me!"

Bao-Dur took his place on the mat, spreading his legs at an equal distance from one another. Igrayne inched before him, keeping her stance free and open. She took the first attack, bringing her knee up against the Zabrak, though Bao-Dur deftly evaded any unplesantness she had planned for him. He took her by the arm and flipped her over onto her back, but Igrayne swung out from under him and jumped to her feet.

Once she had the upper hand, she inched away, making use of every inch of space in the training room. He'd said no weapons, but she was sorely tempted to pull one of the vibro-axes off the wall.

She lunged at Bao-Dur next, but he was took quick for her. With his mechanical arm, he sent her into a spiraling arc to meet with the floor. She hit it hard and rolled away, the breath having been knocked from her lungs. But before she had surrendered completely, she swung one swift leg out and knocked Bao off his feet so that he fell beside her.

He, too, was out of breath.

"So much for your Jedi training, huh?"

Bao-Dur smiled and laughed at her attempted joke. But their laughter coalesced with the ambiance of the Enclave, and gave way to another, more serious feeling. Igrayne felt her throat go dry as Bao leaned in, his hand balanced on her chin. He seemed almost shy for touching her, though she knew he would worship her if given the chance.

Their lips met, slowly at first, then deeper, until his mouth was ravaging hers over and over again, hungering for the riches it promised. She wound her hand over the impressive array of horns that adorned the top of his head. His hand wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She heard him sigh and felt herself melt into the kiss.

A loud clearing of the throat brought them both back into reality. Bao-Dur released her at once, embarrassed that Master Vrook had entered the training room to find them in a most un-Jedilike position. Igrayne disentangled herself from him after realizing just how compromising the situation looked.

"I would like to speak with you. _Now_," Vrook said, before exiting the room. Bao-Dur gave her a worried glance as he got up and straightened his overalls. Igrayne slipped her thumbs underneath his overall straps and pulled him closer.

"General, we shouldn't..."

"I don't care," she said passionately, her lips mere inches from his ear. Again, their lips met, igniting electricity between them both this time. It was soft and loving, but firm and passionate at the same time. The kiss tottered her backwards just a bit, and she took hold of his shoulder for support.

He tried to push her up against one of the support beams, but she pushed him back with an insistent "no."

"We must save something for later," she whispered. Bao-Dur nodded apologetically and turned around to go meet with Vrook. Igrayne watched him leave for a long time after, wondering what she would do now that she was here, now that she had given herself over fully to the feelings stirring inside of her.

What would come of this?

-----------------------

Indy and Han had been more than excited to see the suites that they were provided on Coruscant.

"This is more like it," Han breathed while sinking into Indy's soft bed.

"Hey, you got your own room, stop stinking mine up! You smell like bantha-ass! When's the last time you showered?"

"Excuse me, but you don't smell so nice yourself," Han retorted.

Indy shrugged and walked off to explore the 'fresher. She soon rushed out.

"Did you see how big that 'fresher is?"

"Maybe you should use it," Han laughed back.

She gave him the evil eye before joining in his laughter.

Han sat up. "Hey, you know the Admiral told me that we should take it easy tonight. Seems that his Republic friends are gathering what info they can on the situation and will meet with him in the morning."

"So, let's say we clean up and see what trouble we can cause tonight," Indy said halfway joking, eager to blow off some steam.

"I'm always up for trouble with you," Han said, his voice slightly husky.

-----------------------

Evy had been relieved to find that she would get her own suite. _No more being toyed around with by that dirty scoundrel._

Her feelings towards Atton were so confusing. Sometimes it hurt to look at him, his resemblance to Jeran was so astonishing…his face brought back so many long forgotten memories. Other times it was like a deeper part of her took control, at those times, there was nothing she desired more than to be next to him.

She thought about searching out Rani, but she was fairly sure that she was spending time with Carth. 

_I hope it at least works out for them…Force knows that we all could use a little more happiness…_

Instead she decided to hole herself up in her suite, have some time alone with her thoughts. Life seemed to be throwing everything at her at once since the bombing of Telos.

_Seems like it happened a lifetime ago…although it has only been a couple weeks._

She changed into a long and comfortable, but form-hugging dress in a pale blue that brought out her eyes. She threw open the balcony and stared at the scenery of Coruscant. Her mind kept wandering to her and Atton's last kiss.

_I was so angry, but when he came near to me, I couldn't pull away from him. _

She closed her eyes, reliving the thrilling moment that their lips had met.

_What am I doing? I barely know the man. Just because he looks like Jeran doesn't mean he is like him._

Her mind kept darting back and forth, from desiring Atton to wanting to run as far as she could from him. Then, there was a soft knock on her door. 

-----------------------

Mical was surprised when Rayne led him to a dormitory room in the ship, a heavily fortified and protected one, but it was much better than a Force cage. Minutes later, Canderous carried Carina into the room, dropping her unceremoniously onto the bed before leaving.

"Don't try to pull anything, doctor," Rayne told Mical sneeringly, "or your broad gets it. Don't make the mistake of underestimating me."

Mical said nothing, just grateful that they weren't bound and gagged. Rayne left and activated the security system. Mical walked over to Carina, who was slowly stirring on the bed.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Of course, Mical, arguing with you about the past and then getting smacked in the head with a blaster always makes me feel like a million credits," Carina responded scathingly.

Mical withdrew slightly, but stayed by her side, watching her carefully. Carina immediately felt guilty for her mean words.

"Mical…"

"No need to explain. I'd like to say that I understand, but I have no way of being able to know just how much pain you are feeling," he said, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes, but I shouldn't have said those things to you."

"No, you were right to tell me the truth. If you feel that you and I were a mistake, then…then that changes things."

The look on Mical's face was so sad that Carina felt her heart breaking for him.

_Why do I do this? Push away the one person that may be able to help me_…she thought back to the one time she had given into her feelings for Mical. It was right after she had found herself a murderer, and she had teetered so close to the dark side. Mical had found her, standing on the cliff, thinking of taking her own life, and he had snatched her back from the edge. She remembered his words…_I love you, if you can't live for yourself, then live for me_. That night, she had released herself from her Jedi bonds, and she had also given herself to Mical. It was the only night that she was free from her pain of her bloody sin, she had never felt at peace since.

Her mind returned to the present as Mical sighed and began to move away from the bed. As if it was automatic, Carina grabbed Mical's hand. He turned to look at her, confusion in his eyes.

_He gave me peace, but I ran from him. I ran from the shelter we built together because I thought that I would destroy that too. Just like I destroyed my family's life, and my life, I thought I would destroy his._

"I'm afraid I will destroy you," she said, her voice hollow.

"Is that why you left me?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice only a whisper now.

"I wanted to help you."

"I know, you did…but I wasn't ready to be helped. I killed them, Mical. They are dead and I am alive, and it's not easy to just get over that."

"You blame yourself, when you had no other choice."

"I killed them, Mical, I did it! I took my lightsaber and I killed my own family."

"You are afraid to forgive yourself."

"Not afraid to Mical, I can't. How can I be happy after what I did?"

Mical paused, measuring his words carefully, "what you did, you did because the council asked you to. Your family had been turned, and you tried to save them, bring them back…but they wouldn't and they attacked you, and you did what you had to do to survive."

She took in his words. He made sense, but the pain would never disappear. 

"You were not a mistake, Mical. That night, when you saved me from myself, I was at peace. But when I woke up in the morning and saw you, the only other person I loved who was still alive, I couldn't bear the thought of the pain I could bring you…"

Mical's eyes had lost their cloudiness, and she could see him beginning to understand her fear of love.

"I truly loved you, and I do still," Carina said before she could stop herself.

She leaned up to kiss him, and right before she could, he whispered, "As do I."

--------------------

Rayne and Canderous listened from their observation deck, and Rayne sighed before heading for the navicomputer and punching in new coordinates.

"Where are we heading?" he questioned as he watched her curiously. 

"Coruscant. That's where their friends are," she said, concentrating while adding the hyperspace coordinates.

"How do you even know this?"

When he saw she wasn't going to answer, he tried another approach.

"Rayne, this could get us killed. This is Admiral Karath you're messing with, woman!" He spoke in rushed tones. "Let's just get them to him and forget this entire thing."

Rayne turned around and put her hands on her hips.

"No... not this time, Ordo. I'm sick of being the lackey, damnit! What about that honor? What about clan Ordo? Do you like being the lap dog of those who have no values or sense of warfare?" she questioned.

"I don't like it, but if you remember the war..._we failed_," he reminded and was met with a fist to the side of his face. She was on him within moments, punching him with all her might, attempting to bash his head in.

He fought back, however, flipping her so that he mounted her and belted her a good one. There was a look of love and adoration in her eyes as she went to push him off her to no avail. He hit her again and she felt her eye begin to swell. A warm trickle slid down her face and she knew that he had drawn blood.

The next split second he was lying on his back, holding "himself" and attempting to fight her off with the other arm.

"Damnit! You preach so much about _honor,_ yet you'd kick a man in his family jewels?" he questioned between clenched teeth. He attempted to roll over and get up. She let him stand halfway before tossing a fist at his gut. He caught her, parried with a knee to her stomach and sidekicked her in the head.

She fell, feeling winded. Something in her ribs felt wrong. She coughed and blood spattered. Looking up at him hazily, she smirked.

"I love it when you're rough."

She pulled him down possessively and kissed him savagely. He immediately lost himself to the uncaged passion just as the back of his head exploded in pain and then his world went black.

"I also love the way you're so naive about these blasters you bought me." She put her blaster away and walked back to finish programming the computer.

Blood splattered to the floor as she coughed up a little more blood.

"By the way...we _are_ headed to Coruscant."


	10. Training with the Jedi

After one particularly vigorous sparring session, Igrayne had changed her mind. She knew it was wrong, that the others needed her, but she also knew that at this moment that she didn't care.

Even that thought made her sick to her stomach. She was mulling it over as she walked down the long hall into the main atrium of the Jedi Enclave, dressed in simple, brown Jedi robes—the robes of a true warrior. It would take weeks, maybe even years, to work her way up to a more respectable-looking pair of robes, but that was a commitment she was willing to make. Vrook had even promised her extra medical training at the Enclave.

She entered the rotunda where five Jedi Knights stood in a circle, their lightsabers drawn and humming lightly. They pointed their energy blades straight into the air as she entered the middle of the room.

She knelt before Master Vrook, who officiated. She kept her eyes directed toward the ground, one hand balanced on her knee. She was acutely aware of her own breathing, near-deafening in her own ears.

This was a big step she was taking. She was not sure she knew just _how_ big.

"You are about to cross a threshold," Vrook said, his voice calm and level, "And I ask you now if you are willing to accept the great responsibility that comes with it."

She looked up, her eyes catching the blue-green glow of Vrook's lightsaber, reflecting back at him with just as much fire.

"Yes."

"You have constructed a new lightsaber," Vrook said, motioning to the metallic hilt that hooked on her utility belt. "You have completed the last task on your path to becoming a Jedi padawan. You have studied the Jedi archives, as well, to familiarize yourself with the great history of our noble Order."

"Yes," she said quietly, her voice barely audible under the din of the lightsabers.

"I only ask now that you recite for me the words of the Jedi Code," Vrook challenged. Igrayne closed her eyes and struggled to call to mind the words she had spent hours poring over, in a last-ditch effort to retain some of that knowledge for today's ceremony.

Both hands trembled upon her knee, which was becoming increasingly more sweaty. Through a sheer force of will, she was able to steady her breathing, to better become one with herself and her surroundings.

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no death, there is the Force. This is the way of the Jedi."

"And you accept it?" Vrook queried one last time.

"Yes," Igrayne replied firmly. She bowed her head when Vrook inched his way closer, his magnificent robes skirting the ground around his feet.

"I take you now as my padawan, to glean from my teachings what you will. But most importantly, to preserve the ancient teachings of the Jedi Order in perpetuity."

_Perpetuity._ She finally realized that the covenant she was making would be a lasting one. One from which there would be no escape.

She stood to accept her fate, and activated her lightsaber to fierce life.

---------------------

Bao-Dur was meditating in the training room again. Igrayne walked in, her robes flowing around her form. He looked up from what he was doing, but retained his meditative stance. His posture was almost perfect; his movements precise and adept.

"You are back," he said bluntly.

"Yes. Master Vrook has accepted me for more training. I am now his padawan."

As she said this, she sat down and crossed both of her legs over each other. She was completely facing him now, forcing him to look at her.

"I'm surprised that he accepted you, after..."

He got suddenly silent, and gave an uncomfortable cough. Igrayne smirked at his hesitance to say what they were both thinking.

"That's probably _why_ he accepted me. To keep an eye on me..."

_He may be old but he's not stupid_, she added mentally.

Bao-Dur nodded and cleared his throat, resuming his meditation. Igrayne eyed him almost enviously. He seemed so peaceful, like nothing in the world could bother him. She, on the other hand, could only think about her friends, about what horrors lay waiting for Carina and Mical. She had promised them a rescue. She couldn't even keep _that_ promise, so how could she keep one to the Jedi?

Later on, Igrayne was left alone to train, going through a series of exercises Vrook had devised to test her body, strength, and endurance. She passed every test he threw at her, promising herself she'd do it better the next time. She was sweating and in bad need of a shower, so she ran back to the dormitory for a quick dip in the 'fresher.

When she got out, hours later, she put on a new change of robes and searched the halls for her Jedi Master. On the way there, however, she stopped in the garage where Bao-Dur was fixing various broken items with a hydrospanner. He didn't notice her watching him.

He was always fixing things. Even the remote was being fixed when it didn't need fixing. She knew how important it was to him, like a center in the chaos that surrounded them both, engulfing the galaxy. Perhaps it was his one way to alleviate all the pressures that the Sith were exerting on the Jedi and on the Republic.

His hand fumbled for a moment with the hydrospanner, as though he had sensed her presence. Igrayne thought quickly and dropped her lightsaber from her utility belt, hearing it crash against the wall with a resounding metallic cling.

Bao-Dur spun about.

"General," he said softly. "Are you all right, General?"

Igrayne braced one hand against the wall as she stooped to retrieve the fallen saber.

"It's broken," she said, pumping the button. It was useless; the saber simply would not activate.

"Bring it here, General," Bao-Dur offered, as she came and placed the lightsaber on his workstation. She noticed his look of dismay as he studied the saber.

"Don't worry, General, I'll have this fixed in a bit."

He put it under the light of a holo-lamp to get a better look at it. His brow furrowed. It was a simple malfunction, nothing too difficult.

"This will be fixed sooner than I thought, General. No worries."

His attention was fully focused on the lightsaber, but Igrayne's gloved hand settled atop his, stopping him from working further on the weapon. The guilty look in her eyes told him all he needed to know.

"I know how to fix the saber, Bao."

"It is my job to fix it, if you wish," Bao-Dur said, resorting to his normal tech persona. Igrayne liked how solicitous he was to her needs, how he would jump at the chance to help her if need be. But he wasn't adoring, or fawning, like Mical and Atton. He was simply...respectful.

"No," she said.

"No?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "If not for the saber, then why are you here, General?"

Igrayne suppressed a grin. To him, she must have seemed quite clumsy for a Jedi. Everything was broken every other day. Bao-Dur would come over for the few minutes needed to fix it, then return to what he had been doing before.

"To do this," she said, reaching up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. As she did this, his hands slid involuntarily about her waist, making her melt into the hard contours of her body. She rubbed her nose gently against his just before their lips met, then enjoyed what raptures the kiss held for them both. Bao-Dur's hand tangled through her unbound hair, causing a shiver to run up her spine.

She paused in the middle of the kiss to look at him. His eyes were beaming, yet so full of sadness at all that had happened, at the life that had been stolen from him. Still, he held onto her as though he would never release her, not even when the galaxy had been all but destroyed by the tyrrany and oppression of the Sith.

Her hand caressed his cheek.

"Won't you tell me?"

"General?"

"What it is," Igrayne said, pleading with him. "There's something you remember, isn't there? About the war? It's..._driving_ you."

Bao-Dur shut completely off from her at the mention of the war. His spine stiffened a little, and she felt his fingers unclasp her waist.

"No. It was a slaughter, nothing more. If you'd remember half the things I had seen, you wouldn't ask me such a question. As it was, you're the lucky one."

_Lucky for losing half my mind when I took that fall?_ she wondered. She knew that saying that to him would only complicate things more.

"I think it's best I get back to my work, General," Bao-Dur said quietly, turning to retrieve his hydrospanner. Igrayne stepped back and nodded resolutely.

"Yes. I think there's been enough deception today."

She fled the room without even looking back once to see if he was watching her. She knew he was.

Later that evening, in the small mess hall reserved for trainees and other padawans, Igrayne got the story--the _whole_ story--from one of the new recruits.

Apparently Bao-Dur had been instrumental in bringing the Mandalorian Wars to a close. The clans were slaughtered near to extinction by a single, brilliant invention--the Mass Shadow Generator.

Igrayne digested this information, feeling a bit queasy. It didn't help that the object of her daily musings was now painted as a cold-blooded murderer.

_Murderer._

He couldn't be. How could he not tell her such things? After all that they'd shared, he still felt the need to keep secrets from her. Had the kiss meant nothing to him?

Though they had never spoken at Malachor, they recognized each other. The first time she saw him with Kevan's fleet, she didn't think much of him. What was there to say? He was a dirty Zabrak technician with oil and grease slopped all over him. He was quiet, secretive, and softspoken. He didn't leave much of an impression. He was quite easy to overlook.

But seeing him again had stirred a real sense of nostalgia in her breast. She felt like some bond, however small, had been forged between them in that single moment; that somehow, their experiences at Malachor gave them some common ground.

But Bao-Dur obviously hadn't felt the same way for her if he was keeping these destructive secrets from her. He had wanted her to think he was anything but what he really was: a _murderer_.

Enraged, Igrayne spun upward from her seat to seek out her bed for the night.

-----------------

Somewhere along the way, Carina and Mical had fallen asleep together on the cot in the corner. Feeling a peculiar prickle of the tiny hairs at the back of her neck, however, Carina stirred and turned to find the door to their cage wide open and Rayne sitting at the desk with her back to her.

Searching around the room, she saw two things that weren't bolted down...their waste bucket that Rayne had left for them to relieve themselves in and _a hydrospanner!_ Carina noticed it sitting on the table. Slipping almost painfully from the comfort of Mical's slumbering embrace, she tiptoed away to the tool and grasped it. Finally, she focused on her target—the back of Rayne's head where her neck and skull met. _That'll put her out._

Her feet were bare, so they made no sound as they padded softly across the durasteel plating of the floor, but with each step she became uncomfortably aware of the unearthly cold chill that emitted from the tiles and just how much she would love to be back in the comfort and warmth of the bed.

Finally getting close enough, she found Rayne poring over a roughly drawn hyperspace map of a route she didn't recognize. She was fully submerged in its depths, barely even blinking. The only time she even showed any sign of living was when she took a drink of her Corellian Ale.

_All right...here's my chance...it won't hurt her, it'll just make her sleep for long enough until Mical and I can escape._

And there she faltered. She couldn't do this to her. What if she killed her by hitting her too hard? Horrid memories of her past came flooding back and she lowered the hydrospanner.

"You know, if you actually hit me with the damned thing, I was going to take away your bucket," Rayne said, not even missing a beat. Carina jumped.

"How did you—"

Rayne stood and pushed her chair in before plopping her slender form lazily atop the map on the desk.

"Bad dreams, Cupcake?" She raised an eyebrow. "I mean, with the way you were squirming and moaning, you sounded like a kath hound giving birth to its pup sideways."

She stopped, smirking as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Canderous swears that you and Blondie were playing pocket Pazaak." The last comment wasn't really to tick her off, however, the next one was quite the contrary. "So, is Mr. Wonderful strong in the Force or do you get more enjoyment out of solo missions with a double-sided lightsaber?"

"Now, you see here—" Carina began, clearly having enough of her. Yet again, she was silenced.

"Cool your power couplings, Jedi. We're en route to your friends on Coruscant, and you'll be out of our lives forever," she declared matter-of-factly. Standing again, Rayne turned to enter the engine room. Carina followed, perplexed.

"How could you be sure? You don't even know them," she protested, not sold on her idea. Rayne wasn't surprised.

"I read your mind while you slept. I figured if the blonde one in there could make you do that while you slept, then I'm seriously missing out on something."

Carina just glared, hands on hips.

"I didn't even know where they were," she stated. There was no way she could have found them if she didn't know where they were, could she?

"But you could have found them, had we not been blocking your powers. I used you as a conduit to find them in your memories and then traced it back to them." She put her hand on her shoulder, smiling coyly. "We'll be coming out of hyperspace in twenty minutes.

------------------

Igrayne's blue lightsaber pulsed to life as she pushed the activation switch. Standing across from her, Bao-Dur's hand clamped around the hilt of a blue-green saber, which buzzed spasmodically.

The teras kasi match took place under the supervision of Vandar, who sat perched atop a little chair under the receding sunlight. He had both hands crossed thoughtfully over his little cane as he watched them both circle one another, their movements graceful, precise.

"Forms," the little creature croaked. Igrayne immediately drew up into a defensive stance, preparing for the attack. She knew what to do.

Bao-Dur lunged at her, his movements perfectly controlled. She parried his blow to regain the ground she had lost, then started a new attack.

Blade to blade, they pushed across the room. The crackling of the lightsabers meeting filled her ears and senses as Bao-Dur forced her into a corner. The blade was inches from her face when she conceded.

Bao-Dur backed off, stretching his muscles, then walked to the other side of the room. His artificial arm was glowing, as though brightened by the exercise.

"Another," Vandar commanded. Immediately, they took their places.

Igrayne was dizzy with glee. Learning to master the different fighting techniques was, no doubt, tiring work, but all thoughts of her life before entering the enclave had completely gone from her. In the few short days in which she had been taken on as Vrook's padawan, she had shown great proficiency in every test that they threw at her. Time and time again, she excelled at everything, which earned her great praise from both of the masters. Vrook, who was normally reticent and reserved his praise for only the most deserving of his students, even had to admit that she did a good job. This acknowledgment earned her a place of respect among the other masters.

Igrayne cupped the lightsaber in both hands, studying her opponent. Just then, Vrook came rushing in, his face strained and pale. A few wisps of hair hung over his forehead. He was obviously concerned about something very important.

"That is enough for today," he said, clapping both hands together to dismiss the Zabrak and her. They walked out of the room side by side.

Igrayne wiped her face on her robes.

"I wish I knew what they were saying in there." She stood up on her tip-toes, trying to peer through the door. "Maybe if I used my Force powers..."

"No, General. Don't."

Bao-Dur's arm was upon hers in an instant.

"It is a private conversation."

"You're no fun," she said, pouting. That simple action earned her a smile from the Zabrak, who merely shook his head at her.

"You _really_ are something."

"A good something or bad something?" Igrayne queried, deepening her voice to sound more seductive. Obviously, the trick was working.

"Good," Bao merely said, his face inches from hers. He was not without resolve. With considerable restraint, he pulled himself away from her and hooked his lightsaber on his utility belt.

"We'd best get back to the training area. They'll expect us to continue our studies while they are in the meeting."

Bao-Dur's gloved hand touched her arm, sinking his fingers into her skin to lead her behind him. Suddenly, the door slid open and out walked Vrook. Having noticed the interchange, Vrook paused, but said nothing.

"Master Vrook!" Igrayne said, jumping backward. She hoped it didn't register in Vrook's mind just what was going on here.

"Igrayne. Bao-Dur," he said, acknowledging them, albeit disapprovingly. "Why are you not in the training area?"

"We were on our way," Bao-Dur said, nodding Igrayne along.

"No, wait," Vrook said, the sound of his voice pausing both of them in their tracks. He let out a dejected sigh. "There are hard times coming. I see no reason not to tell you both. You are my star pupils; You'll need to know..."

"Master?"

"The Sith have been sighted on Dantooine. There was a fracas... some of our students were hurt, but it's nothing serious."

"The Sith...are here?" Igrayne queried loudly. Her eyes had opened wide with fear. She had run away to this safe haven, thinking she could escape the fate of her friends. What a fool she was to be so easily misled by a lie.

She glanced sidelong at Bao-Dur, who seemed to be taking the news rather well. Zabraks were calm under pressure, but the fact that he was especially calm only enraged her more. Well, what could she expect from a killer?

"It's best not to go telling tales around the Enclave, though," Vrook said with a cautionary glance. "We don't want to alarm the other students to the possibility of a battle. I intend to evacuate the premises somewhat soon if the Sith are still reportedly here."

His hand landed on Igrayne's shoulder, clasping her tightly with the gentle gesture.

"Tell no one."

She merely nodded as he walked by, patting her shoulder one last time. She looked over at Bao-Dur and began pacing to dispel some of the nervous energy. It didn't entirely help, but it did alleviate it to some degree.

"Is something wrong, General?"

She stopped and stared at him, slack-jawed.

"Is something _wrong_? How can you honestly stand there and ask me a question like that?"

Bao-Dur cocked his head to one side, narrowing his eyes.

"General?"

She held a hand to her mouth, forcing down the painful memories: the deaths, the explosions, the suffering...

"Please don't call me that anymore. I'm Igrayne. Just Igrayne."

"Well, Just Igrayne, please tell me what is troubling you," the Zabrak said.

"No," she said, chafing her face in her hands. "No, it's too soon. I...I've been here too long. This is a wakeup call."

She stalked off toward the dormitories, but Bao-Dur was right behind her. Even as she started stripping off her Jedi robes to don something a little more appropriate for the occasion, Bao still watched her. It was as though he could sense her pain, and he was acutely aware of every feeling she felt and the ways in which she tried, and failed, to deal with it.

"You're leaving." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Igrayne said. She made the final adjustments on her nurse's gear and studied herself in the mirror. What she found was not to her liking. Her face looked hollowed-out and gaunt, her cheekbones sharp enough to slice open her skin. Even her eyes seemed bigger and more frightened in her shrinking body. The training had been taking its toll on her.

"So that's the way of it?" Bao-Dur asked, a slight note of resentment in his otherwise flat voice.

"What?"

"You run at the first sign of trouble?"

Her hand paused on the belt she was girding about her waist. She couldn't believe he had the gall to stand here and make such unfounded accusations.

"Are you serious?"

Bao-Dur continued, angrier this time.

"Be honest with yourself, General. When danger looms near, you back down. I've never known you to be like that before."

"That's because you _don't know me_!" Igrayne roared, feeling under attack.

"I do. I've seen you lead men and ships into many victorious battles, General. I've sat by as you discussed tactics with my commanding officer, Kevan, though you never noticed me at the time. I ate in the mess hall with many of your soldiers, heard their stories, their praise, their ridicule and their scorn, heard how you turned your back on the Jedi to go to war. I heard it all. I may know you better than you know yourself."

When she next spoke, her voice was hoarse, as if she didn't have enough strength to summon in order to face him.

"I leave because my friends are in danger. I've known Carina all my life; I can't just leave her and the doctor to die! The Jedi Code teaches us to be passionate when it comes to helping others, don't you remember?"

Bao nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her face. Embarrassed by the level of eye contact, Igrayne broke the gaze and looked away.

"Wrong again, General. Had you paid more attention to Master Vrook, you'd know that passion is something the Jedi warn against. Passions destroy you, make you weak and susceptible to the evils of the dark side."

"And the kiss?" Igrayne queried breathlessly. "Was that evil, too?"

His eyes held her face for a long time. She wanted so much to melt into his arms and cry all her pains and frustrations away, but she preserved what little dignity she had left by standing tall.

Bao-Dur turned and walked away from her, dissatisfied with her response. She didn't know where he was going, but if she had to guess, it would be the garage.

-------------------

As promised, Rayne brought the tiny z-95 Headhunter out of hyperspace within twenty minutes. The mercenary had given up on securing her quarry in Force cages, so she let them roam the room in which they were contained freely. Carina paced the room anxiously.

"I don't know what she has planned for us, but it can't be good."

"Your evaluation of our current situation is most likely correct," Mical said, somewhat sadly. Carina ran a frustrated hand through her mussed hair. She couldn't sleep a wink, and, what's more, Rayne had somehow tapped into her feelings for Mical and was using it as a bargaining chip. She figured it would be easier to go along with whatever the mercenary said when someone she loved was at stake.

_Had loved_, she reminded herself. _Had loved!_ How could she keep making that mistake over and over again? _It was a long time ago; we were both younger then._

Her stomach did a backflip as the ship began descending into Coruscant's atmosphere, battering the inside occupants with the force of the landing. Carina hugged her knees to her chest, glancing over at a very peaceful-looking Mical.

Was he _actually_...meditating?

The blonde Jedi had both his legs tucked under his body and his breathing was fairly shallow, as though he had voluntarily stilled it. She could see movement behind his lids, and concluded that he must either be in a dream state or a trance.

Just then, the ship came to a rough landing, and Rayne barged into the room unannounced, prepared to herd them out.

"Change of plans. We're going to meet good ol' Onasi for a little secret rendezvous at his apartment; only, he won't know we're waiting there for him. That's _why_ it's secret."

Carina allowed herself to be dragged by the arms out of the ship's hull. The last thing she saw before the world went to black was the sight of a very peaceful-looking Mical enjoying what time he could in a meditative state. How she envied him!

---------------------

After tending to the _Centurion's Blade_, which was docked safely in the hangar bay, Han and Indy prowled the cantinas to play high-stakes Sabacc. It was their night off and they were going to make full use of it.

Rani, on the other hand, had slipped into bed when she heard a light rapping at the door that preceded Carth Onasi's entrance. She sat up in bed, realizing how very little her nightgown left to the imagination. Carth was, as always, the gentleman; his eyes never strayed once from her face to the delights lingering below.

"Can I help you?" Rani asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her vision was growing less blurry—now she only saw one Carth instead of two. That was good news.

"Am I disturbing you?" he asked apologetically. He was about to turn around when Rani shouted out a "no!" very quickly.

_Great, now he thinks I'm desperate_, Rani thought.

"I—ah—just wanted to see if you wanted to go catch a quick bite to eat," Carth said tentatively. Was that a blush highlighting his cheekbones? Carth was being uncharacteristically shy. Perhaps it had something to do with their last rendezvous and the result of that.

"I'd love to," Rani said, "I was just dozing off, but you caught me at a good time. My stomach's been growling the whole night."

Carth smiled widely at the thought that she would soon be joining him for dinner. One finger tapped his wrist chrono.

"Great. Can you be ready in five minutes?"

"No problem!" Rani said, tearing off the sheets.

However, it was a problem. A very big problem. Once Carth was gone, Rani tried to multitask, but taking a shower and applying a liberal amount of dramatic makeup to her eyes was simply too much to juggle. She brushed out her long hair and put the finishing touches on her lipstick, then slipped into a sweeping, floor-length gown that complemented her olive skin.

When the doors slid open, Carth's jaw hung a little wider. She noticed that he, too, had taken care to tend his appearance. He had trimmed down some of the week-long stubble that dotted his chin, and he was wearing his orange flight jacket and a black pair of pants. His hair was slicked back from his forehead, making him look very put together.

Rani extended her hand, wondering if the Admiral would shut his mouth long enough to take it.

"Shall we?"

Carth lifted her hand to his lips and she giggled as his whiskers tickled the soft skin of her hand. She wondered how it would feel to run that same hand through his hair, to mess it up after he had gotten it so neatly into place.

_You little devil you_, she chided herself.

"My lady," Carth said, addressing her with the manners customary to one in the fleet. She liked the formal tone he took with her.

They walked, arm-in-arm, down the street to the restaurant. When they entered, they were immediately escorted to a private booth in back. Rani slipped into the booth, bending carefully to give Carth a generous view of her cleavage. She saw his eyes stray down briefly, but he quickly corrected it by looking into her eyes.

They held hands over dinner. Rani couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy.

"You, Rani, look stunning. Absolutely breathtaking," the Admiral commented. Rani blushed and dangled the jewel on her earlobe.

"And you, Admiral Onasi, are a deceitful flatterer!"

"Only when it suits me," Carth said with a pleasant smile.

Rani stroked both her arms; the restaurant was cold and she was really beginning to feel it.

"Have you tapped your contacts yet for information and resources?"

Carth nodded, then ran a hand through his whiskers.

"Yeah. I commed them as soon as we landed. Figured we would wait around a bit, regroup."

_Well, don't do too much waiting,_ Rani thought, _our friends are in danger._

A twi'lek waitress in a slinky chrome outfit came by to pass out menus. Rani pored over all the delicious looking entrees before settling on one.

She closed the menu loud enough to get Carth's attention.

"Well, looks like I'll be eating better than bantha stew tonight! _How_ can I ever repay you?"

Carth laughed.

"Don't worry about it, gorgeous. We can't go around saving the galaxy on an empty stomach."

"I agree," Rani said, clinking her glass to his. They both devoured the contents of their drinks, then sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments more. When they weren't flirting, Carth was practically a stranger to her. She was reminded painfully of Destrik, how easy it had been to communicate with him. The Admiral, for all his years, seemed hesitant in his approach toward women.

"So," Rani began, trying to break the silence.

"So," Carth repeated with a smile, leaning into her. She put a hand against his chest, pushing him forcibly backward.

"Now, now, Admiral Onasi, you haven't even bought me dinner and already you're going for dessert."

"I just like what I see. It looks _delicious_."

"I can say the same," Rani remarked with a mischievous grin.

It was easier to dismiss Destrik when she was flirting with Carth, but a nagging voice in her mind told her what she was doing was wrong. She was, by all accounts, guilty.

_No._

"What did she look like?" she blurted out suddenly. Carth raised an eyebrow.

"What did who look like?"

"Your wife."

Carth's spine visibly stiffened at the mention of the now-dead woman he had held in his arms mere weeks ago, when she lay dying in the rubble on Telos. His tired brown eyes, once warm and gleaming, had lost their luster. He looked down to the table and studied the silverware. A few attendants came and placed dinner in front of them.

"Morgana was... beautiful. Dark hair and eyes—like you. She had courage, and she was stubborn. I guess she was a bit like you in that sense, never backing down from a confrontation, no matter how great or small."

Rani pursed her lips. "I guess you could say she gave you a run for your money?"

A smile tugged at Carth's lips and won out.

"Yeah. I...I guess you _could_ say that."

Dinner ended, and so did the conversation, for a time. After they finished the first course and shoved aside the plates, they sat in uncomfortable silence once again.

"It's only fair that you tell me about _him_," Carth suddenly spoke up, his voice taking on an unmistakably jealous edge.

"Him? Who him?"

"Destrik, your betrothed."

Rani's fingers tapped the dinner table impatiently. The check had not come yet, and she wondered if Carth had somehow orchestrated it all so that he could sit here patiently and ask all the questions he wanted while the waitress readied the check.

"You know," she said with a roll of the shoulders. Talking about him was too painful; it was still too soon. It didn't help matters that she was here, sitting across from a very attractive man with whom she was eating dinner.

"No, I'm afraid you'll have to enlighten me just a bit."

"He was sweet," Rani said, "But idealistic. He thought that signing on with the fleet would solve the galaxy's problems."

She paused. "No offense."

"None taken, beautiful," Carth said, with that same smile that had reduced her to a swooning wreck.

"But he was good...so good to me," Rani said, closing her eyes. "I think his idealism was what attracted me to him in the first place. I wanted to believe he could change things for us, that he could make the galaxy a safer, better place to live in. But that dream died, along with him."

Carth's hand closed over her own as she trembled. His touch was making her nervous, and her throat began to go dry.

"I guess you could say that we all have a little Destrik in us. You know, wanting to always play the hero."

"No," Rani said, shaking her head, "I know for damn sure that Atton doesn't."

Carth laughed. "Don't change the subject."

"Fine."

"I like you, Rani. You may be...well...frustrating as hell, stubborn, headstrong, even tempestuous..."

"Hey, stop flattering me by listing all my qualities," Rani quipped.

"...But that's why I like you. You don't just take what you're given. You fight for it. Those are the kind of qualities that make heroes of the Republic."

"I don't want to be a hero," Rani said with a sad shake of the head. "I just want to survive."

Carth leaned his weight back into his chair, mulling over what she had just said.

"Well, then, I guess we have our differences..."

"But there aren't many," Rani said, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Know that I would give my life up if I thought, for one minute, that it would save the Republic. But I'm not about seeking honor and glory."

"The finest soldiers are the ones who want to make a difference, you know," Carth replied, leaning forward, "They're not the ones who want fame, or money, or notoriety. They want to be a part of something greater."

She nodded, digesting what he had just said. The waitress brought a complimentary dessert over, which Rani began digging into mercilessly.

"Whoa, gorgeous, slow down there. Looks like you haven't eaten for a week."

"I sure as hell feel like I haven't! I guess it's all this heavy talk about making a difference."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

She waved her fork at him, which was covered in a creamy mixture.

"You didn't. It just all... brings back memories, of Destrik."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. Carth grew silent and sober for the remainder of the night, which pretty much cut the night short. As they walked back together in mutual silence, Rani pondered the reasons for his withdrawn attitude. Perhaps he was angry she had mentioned Destrik again, or just sullen at the loss of his own wife...

Whatever it was, it would certainly make for an interesting remainder of the night. Perhaps they would spend it confined to two different rooms, instead of sleeping in the same bed, as they had done night after night.

--------------------

When she entered the garage, Bao-Dur was, as expected, fixing something with his hydrospanner.

"Have you returned to argue some more?" Bao-Dur asked off-handedly, without even looking over his shoulder.

She crossed both arms expectantly over her chest. She thought, at the least, he would offer her an apology and maybe even a kiss to make up for their little spat.

"We didn't finish our conversation from before."

"You made it clear, in so many words, that we had."

"Well then, you put words into my mouth. I never said any such thing."

"I don't want to argue with you, General," Bao-Dur said truthfully, his back still turned toward her. He was fiddling with his remote on the workbench in front of him. He used the hydrospanner to pop out a bad motivator, which he then replaced.

She stood there watching him for some time before gathering up the courage to say,

"I was afraid. You were right."

He only turned to look at her in passing; she could see that he was nonplussed by this declaration of hers, and she had been expecting something more of surprise, or even acceptance, from him. He simply went back to fixing his remote.

"Didn't you hear me?" Igrayne asked, becoming annoyed. "I said '_you were right_!'"

"I heard you, General. There's no need to raise your voice."

"Don't you want to talk about it?"

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"I'm a little busy here, General."

"Well then, I guess it's just something we'll have to talk about when I get back."

She turned on her heel and stormed through the doorway, but one softly spoken word prevented her from crossing the threshold entirely.

"Igrayne?"

Her hand rested on the door frame for support. She used its position to wheel around her body in order to look at him. His artificial hand was still clamped around the hydrospanner, but his attention was solely focused on her.

She walked slowly into the room, resting her heels together so they were flat on the floor. Bao-Dur looked away, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his arm.

"I just wanted to say good luck in your travels."

_That's it?_ she wondered. After _all_ their time together, those were the parting words he had for her?

She prepared to leave the room again.

"Don't go," he said, very softly. She looked over her shoulder at him, tossing her unbound hair out of her eyes. As though magnetized, she swayed closer to him. He was very big and muscular, and he had worked up a good sweat from fixing the droid. He was covered in grease and oil, but he still smelled wonderful--all man and musk; just the kind of smell she would expect from a Zabrak.

He released the hydrospanner from his iron grip onto the workstation. She walked up to him and paused momentarily, one hand extended as though to touch his face. Saying goodbye was the hardest part. She squeezed his hand one last time.

"You're leaving, General?"

"I have to. Don't you understand that these are my friends? We were in the service together. We nursed many of the fleet officers back to health, saved many others... I wouldn't be where I am today without their friendship."

"Then take me with you."

Igrayne did a double-take; _what_ had he just said? It was purely mind-boggling.

"No. It is not my wish to endanger you or any of the other members of my party."

"They may already be in danger, for all we know. Either we leave this place together, or _not at all_."

He was so insistent that she knew there was no way of getting around it.

"If you must come with me..."

"As always, General, you lead, I follow," he said, his chest puffed out in a protective stance. Igrayne couldn't help but smile at her Zabrak protector. He had never asked for much; just for a simple bed and some nourishment, and to always have the honor of protecting her and accompanying her on important Jedi missions she was supposed to complete. Each and every time she had allowed the Zabrak to come with her, but this was different: there was real _danger_ involved. Just when hope was beginning to burgeon in her breast, she didn't want the one thing she cared about most to be heartlessly snatched from her.

"I can always rely on you to serve me, Bao-Dur."

"It is a promise I made you long ago, General."

And she knew that much was true.


	11. Evy's Dream and the Stolen ID Tags

She was dreaming again. The dreams had intensified and become more frequent since arriving on Coruscant. Even when she was awake, she was still dreaming.

The dream was always the same. She and Jeran were on the front lines during the start of the war, fighting side by side, as equals. They had lost a lot of men that day. And she remembered, after the fighting had subsided, holding Jeran in her arms as he breathed his last.

_Wait for me. Say you'll always wait..._

It was too painful a memory to call up at will. Only when she was sleeping did she allow herself to even think of him. The circumstances of their meeting had been an accident, but after that, their relationship had continued purposefully, despite the tenets of the Jedi Code. Jeran, who had trained at the facility with some of the other masters, met Evy while she worked as a medical assistant there.

It had been nothing serious at first. A few words here and there, some slight flirtation. Soon, their meetings had increased in frequency, and Evy had found herself spending an odd amount of time tending patients that didn't need to be tended, if only to glimpse a brief view of her beloved Jeran.

So she did what she thought was best. She kept quiet, until the time was right. One day Jeran confronted her about it. There was little to do but admit to the feelings that lay dormant inside of her; she couldn't very well deny it and risk hurting Jeran with a simple lie.

To her surprise, Jeran reciprocated her feelings. He was tentative at first, and he voiced his concerns about embracing their love for one another, but when it came apparent these feelings would not subside, they were able to freely give themselves over to one another.

They disguised their burgeoning relationship in a number of ways; when Jeran was finished with training and just before dinner in the mess hall, they would meet for a tryst in the simple, uncluttered quarters that he usually shared with a few of the other padawans. After the trysts were over, Jeran would return to his training, and Evy would be happy, satisfied, but lonely. It was always hours until they could spare time for one another again. With all their commitments, it was difficult to keep the relationship going.

It was after one such tryst that he had made a comment to her about something he had observed. He said he could feel the Force flowing through her veins, that such untapped power could and should be directed into a proper education from one of the Jedi Masters. Evy had resisted the thought. She was too busy, and she simply had too many patients to care for.

Eventually, after enough of Jeran's badgering, she allowed him to train her in secret. She was too old to be formally trained as it was, so Jeran took it upon himself to relay to her the information he was learning in each of his daily teachings. Learning from Jeran had opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for Evy. Though she enjoyed her work as a medical assistant, being a Jedi was what _mattered_. She felt like she was finally where she needed to be.

And then the war started. Many of their friends at the Jedi training facility saw action, and many died. Evy and Jeran were both called to the forefront of the battle. It was a bloody, bloody day. She didn't know what she had been expecting in responding the call, but the sight on the battlefield was one that would haunt her for the remainder of her life.

And Jeran...poor, sweet Jeran had not even been looking when a Mandalorian mercenary came up and ran him through with a vibro-sword. She raised her hand, trying to prevent the events from happening, but it was no use. Jeran fell, and as he did, she held out her arms to catch him.

She cried, but her tears were useless. They merely bathed his face as he lay there, too wounded to move. He could read the dreaded look in her face and knew he was dying. She couldn't disguise the fact from him, no matter how hard she tried. He struggled to lift a hand to her cheek; it was his way of assuring her everything would be all right.

He had only done that once before, when they were on Dantooine together a long, long time ago. They had been looking out at the sunset together when Jeran's gloved hand settled over hers on the balustrade. With his other hand, he stroked her cheek while looking into her eyes. Neither had said anything; there had never been a need to.

Holding him in her arms was the most excruciating part of his death. What seemed like hours must have only taken minutes, as he choked up blood and spittle that dribbled down over his chin. Evy lifted his head up to kiss his lips one last time.

"Wait for me," he said in between coughs, "Say you'll always wait."

She clasped his hand, bringing it up to her lips as her eyes filled with tears. All the rest of the world seemed to melt away, and for a moment, it was only them.

"I will. I promise you _I will_."

With his dying breath, he had bequeathed his lightsaber to her to wield into battle. She accepted it, tucking it away in the folds of her robes as though it were the most sacred thing in the world to her.

He closed his eyes and peacefully slumped down into her arms. She lay there for some time, holding the dead weight of his corpse in her arms almost lovingly. Even after the short battle had ended, she had still been laying there, until one of the officers had come to take her away. Even then, they had to pry her apart from his body. She was too broken, to wounded to simply go on.

The war raged on, and she continued her work at the medical facility with two of the other young nurses as friends. Throwing herself headlong into her work was what kept her going after Jeran's death. She became distinctly more serious and distant from the world around her, but blocking herself off was what saved her from more heartache.

And then Atton happened. The scoundrel infuriated her at the same time as he intrigued her. He was nothing like Jeran. Jeran had been kind, compassionate, and a gentleman in every way to her. Atton, on the other hand, was insufferable at times, and very, very stubborn.

Evy slipped out of bed and drew on a simple cloak to fend off the night chill. The Coruscant apartment in which they were staying was not lax in any amenities, so she decided to take full advantage of them. She walked out of her room and went to the small cooler that stored food, prepared to make a midnight snack.

The door slid open, and in walked one very drunk-looking scoundrel. On his face was plastered a permanent grin.

"Well, sweets, didn't expect to see you up and about."

"I couldn't sleep," Evy said, pushing her blonde hair out of her face. Atton grinned and swaggered toward her. "Where've _you_ been?"

Atton plunged both hands into his pockets as though he'd just done something horribly wrong.

"Ah, nowhere. At the cantina..."

"Again? Force, Atton, it's a wonder you have _any_ money left!"

Atton's brows knotted together over his furrowed forehead.

"Don't act all high-and-mighty with me, you _nurse_."

Evy slapped him once for good measure. Atton howled and held a hand over the stinging blow he'd received to his cheek.

"What the hell was that for!"

"Whatever bad news you're about to tell me," Evy said, anticipating him. "And for calling me '_nurse_.' I prefer the term 'medical assistant.'"

Atton held both hands up, affronted.

"Fine, fine, go all p.c. on me."

"Atton," Evy said, drawing him back to the conversation. "What's up?"

"I...ah..." Atton paused and ran a hand through his brown hair, looking sheepish. "Kind of lost all my credits on a game or two of Pazaak."

"Atton!" Evy fumed.

"All right, all right. Maybe three."

"I can't believe you," Evy said, shutting the cooler loudly enough for the neighbors to hear. "You shouldn't be gambling away all our credits! It may be all we have left to find our friends!"

"I was only trying to help!" Atton replied.

"Well I wish you _wouldn't_!" Evy growled.

A moment elapsed during which neither of them spoke.

"Fine," Atton said, tugging on his ribbed, leather jacket to walk into one of the unoccupied rooms of the apartment. He locked the door behind him.

For a long time, Evy watched after him before her thoughts turned back to her dead Jedi lover.

_No, Jeran was never like him. He was so much better..._

Yet, she couldn't deny the attraction she had for Atton. He might have been stubborn, vain and insufferable, but he was a breath of fresh air in this stagnant, decaying universe.

Maybe he was just the cure she needed for her sorrow.

Evy wavered at the door to the apartment Atton was occupying.

_I don't even know who he is, what his life was like before I met him_… She wanted to go in and talk to him, maybe that was because she always went to Jeran when she needed to get something off her chest.

_No, don't get mixed up in that. He drinks, he gambles, and he loses, s_he thought with a melancholy laugh as she backed away from the door, letting her suspicions towards Atton win. 

Just as she was about to go back into her own apartment, she felt a small ripple in the Force. Ever since her memories began to haunt her again, her sensitivity to the Force had been returning.

_What is that? _She thought, alarm building inside of her. _A warning! Something feels wrong here…_

Evy ran to Atton's door, banging loudly on it.

It swished open, and Atton stood there bleary-eyed.

"Atton! We need to—"

"Come to abuse me some more?" he asked grumpily.

"There's no time, Atton! Come with me, we have to find the others."

Atton looked at her and shrugged before deciding to go with her, she did look sincerely panicked after all.

"Do you know where anyone is?" She asked Atton as they swiftly walked through the halls.

"Well, I saw Indy and Han in one of the cantinas."

"Alright, let's get them first then, maybe they've seen Carth and Rani."

--------------

Rani sighed as Carth walked her to the door of her suite.

_I wish I knew what to say to him. I can't tell if he's sad or angry or what…_

They made it to the door in silence, and he helped her unlock it. She walked inside, using the light controls to turn on a few dim lights. Carth followed her in hesitantly. She turned to face him, and he looked at her with a brooding expression. She continued to look into his eyes, seeing none of the pleasant warmth that usually dwelled within them.

"Thank you for the dinner, it was nice to get out," she started, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

"It was my pleasure," he replied with an empty voice.

Rani felt irritation grate at her. _One night, we can't keep our hands off of each other, then he tells me he likes me and implies that he doesn't love me, then he takes me to dinner, and then he acts like a pouting child when I mention Destrik. And I thought I was confused…_

"Alright, well I guess this is goodnight then," she said, her voice betraying her annoyance.

Carth looked as if Rani had just slapped him.

"Goodnight," he answered her irately, finally showing some emotion.

He turned on his heels and began to walk out, but before Rani could stop herself, she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. He halted, and looked back at her seeming as if he was going to say something, until he saw her softened expression.

"Stay," she said, a request, not a demand. He looked at her for a few moments, before heading to the door.

Rani's heart plummeted.

But Carth Onasi didn't leave. He shut and locked her door, before turning to look at her again.

--------------

Rayne had secured them in some sort of holding cell in a seemingly abandoned building in the shadiest part of Coruscant.

Carina looked to Mical, again, he was meditating. _Well, I guess he's not going to be much use_, she thought cynically.

"Hey!" Carina called to Rayne, "I thought you were returning us to our friends."

Carina hated to be out of control, and this whole ordeal had turned her emotions into a tailspin. _I can't believe I told Mical that I loved him! I'm so stupid, now what am I going to do?_

"I will," Rayne replied with a sneaky grin, "but first, I have to make sure we get what we need. You didn't expect this to be a return and rescue mission did you?"

Carina looked at her angrily. She didn't like this Rayne, playing with her emotions… always having her hopes off balance.

"Look little Jedi, I'm giving you back to your friends, but we took you in the first place didn't we? There is something we have to do, I didn't just pick you up for the fun of it."

"What is it that you need?" Carina asked, almost afraid for the answer.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rayne taunted, her striking eyes flashing merrily, as she headed off with Canderous, presumably to Admiral Onasi's suite.

Carina sighed, trying to still her raging emotions. She again looked to Mical, who was still meditating. She all of a sudden had an ache to meditate too. 

_No, it's been too long_, she thought. She was afraid to return to anything that brought her back to her days as a Jedi, to her final mission…meditation, her lightsaber, Mical…they all reminded her of the monster that she felt she was.

She slumped to the ground, her back resting against the bars of her cage. 

"We should wait this out," Mical said, his voice signaling the end to his meditation.

--------------

Atton and Evy rushed to the cantina where Atton had last seen Indy and Han. It turned out that they were still there, drinking. After winning big on a Sabacc game they had stopped for the night and started consuming the alcohol they bought with their newly acquired money.

When they had arrived, Indy was muttering nonsense and resting her forehead on the table, Han only looked slightly tipsy. There were _at least_ over thirty empty glasses on the table.

Evy eyed the half-conscious Indy and slightly tipsy Han with a disapproving stare.

"We were having a drinking contest... She won," Han said in their defense. Evy shook her head.

"Have you guys seen Carth or Rani?" she said, getting to the reason they even came here. Han scratched his head. After a while he seemed to have remembered.

"Yeah, we saw 'em walking past the cantina, heading towards the apartments..."

"Come with us, I have a bad feeling about these matters."

Shrugging, Han picked up Indy and threw her across his shoulder. It was obvious she wouldn't be walking out of that cantina.

-----------------

Carth quietly keyed the lock to their apartment. Rani watched his hands move methodically over the dials to plug in the appropriate numbers. She didn't know whether to sit or stand, and her heart was hammering away at a mile a minute, so she stood with both hands interlaced. When Carth turned around, he squared his shoulders and stepped forward.

"Well, gorgeous? You wanted me to stay, so what's your big master plan?"

Rani's utterance was regrettable, now that she didn't know what to do. She had spoken the word on the impulse, hoping it would garner Carth's attention—and it had.

She summoned up courage enough to walk forward, closing the gap between her and Carth in a few short steps.

"I just don't want to feel alone tonight."

Carth raised a hand to the door.

"Want me to grab Indy or Evy for you?"

She flattened her palm against his chest, resting it against the groove of his muscles, feeling his heart beating inside of his chest. It was slow and measured, not like hers. How could he be calm at a time like this?

"No, Carth."

The fact that she used his name was what confused him. It didn't take long for him to figure out, however, just what Rani had planned.

He took her by the shoulders, his fingers gripping her hard. Rani reached up, letting her mouth find his in the darkness. In that moment, his kiss was all she needed to feel alive.

"Rani, we shouldn't do this," he said huskily, in between kisses. Rani's hands found the collar of Carth's jacket, drawing him closer.

"Please, Carth. I just need to feel alive."

He wasn't about to deny her what she wanted. He closed his eyes and kissed her deeply, allowing her to reach up and fumble with his orange flight jacket. When she couldn't get it off fast enough, Carth ripped it off himself and tossed it aside before resuming his amorous stance above her.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her effortlessly to the bed. She was so thin and frail, it was painful. Carth seemed to take note of this as he said,

"You need to take better care of yourself."

_Not exactly what every girl wants to hear when she's about to give herself to the man she wants_, Rani thought dejectedly.

Another kiss from her silenced him. He proceeded to lift her up and begin peeling layer after layer of her clothing off. The more he tore away her shield, the more she lay exposed to him, vulnerable. He touched her as though he were worshipping her.

"What's that?" Carth asked when he had come to the final layer of clothing to be stripped away. Rani's hand immediately flew to the thin shirt that covered her chest.

"Don't!" she warned him as his hands hovered near. Instinctively, the Admiral snapped back.

"I...am sorry," he stuttered. His hand rubbed her shoulder in gentle circles. "Will you let me see?"

The silence gradually changed from morose to comfortable. The tone in Carth's voice was so gentle that it forced her to uncross her arms, leaving herself nearly bare to his gaze. Carth's eyes took in every aspect of her appearance before landing on the fresh, raw scars covering her stomach and upper torso.

"What happened?" he said, almost protectively. Rani shook her head.

"Fallout from the blast. I was trapped. If it wasn't for Evy, I might not have survived."

Carth kissed each of her scars, and they instantly became focal points for her pleasure.

He stroked a few strands of hair back from her face.

"You're so beautiful."

Their mouths met hungrily, and Rani involuntarily wrapped both of her legs around his waist as he dragged her down into the bed.

"I guess that's why you call me 'gorgeous' then, eh?" she quipped. Carth smiled and stroked the hair tenderly back from her forehead. He didn't say anything more.

The moment was exquisite, but still, Rani couldn't help but feel that things were progressing too fast. Carth seemed totally invested in her, but she wondered if it was Morgana he was seeing, and not her. She couldn't dismiss the thought from her mind that he might be envisioning his dead wife with him, and that thought hurt her above any other.

He continued kissing her, but she lost the flame. He could sense it as his kisses went unreturned. She rolled out of bed, tugging on a robe to cover up her nakedness.

"What's wrong?" Carth asked, swinging both legs over the bedside. He sounded very hurt and offended, and Rani felt extremely guilty for his sudden change in tone.

"Nothing...it's..." Her words faded away and were replaced with lies.

"Nothing," she repeated.

Carth tugged on his jacket and slipped into his boots, angrily lacing them up. She didn't need to ask to know what was going on. He had put himself on the line, and she had refused him.

"Well, when you decide what it is, let me know," he said brusquely. "You know where to find me."

"Yeah," Rani said sadly, as he palmed the keypad to unlock the door. "I do."

The door slid open, and Carth jumped backward, reaching for his blaster when he saw Rayne and Canderous standing on the opposite end of it. Immediately, Canderous drew his blaster to eye-level and shot a bolt at Carth's hand. The Admiral howled, dropping his gun, cradling his wounded hand to his chest as he doubled over in pain.

"Now, that wasn't exactly a smart idea, was it, Admiral?" Rayne asked, kneeling next to Carth so that she was leering into his eyes. "I thought they taught you better at the Academy."

Canderous tugged her by the vest onto her feet.

"No time for sarcasm, love. Let's get what we came for."

The huge mercenary thug ensnared Carth in his burly arms, covering his mouth with one hand, while Rayne did the same to Rani.

When they left, the room was silent and still, as though waiting for Indy, Han, Evy and Atton's untimely return.

----------------

The tiny transport that the Jedi had given Igrayne and Bao-Dur was not entirely conspicuous, and it was made even less so by the presence of a dozen or so unmarked ships in Coruscant's busy downtown sector. It had been a long, uncomfortable flight, and Igrayne was just glad to be putting down on firm ground at last. They stepped out of the ship and checked over the coordinates.

Almost immediately, her head was hit with a plethora of sights, sounds and smells, and she felt in real danger of suffering sensory overload. Bao-Dur touched her hand protectively, as though sensing her paranoia. He led her through the crowd to the upper city, where Carth had transmitted a batch of coordinates. On the ship, they weren't able to make contact with the others, which only fueled Igrayne's anxiety. Bao-Dur had done his best to calm her wayward thoughts by distracting her with stories of their times together in the wars. He had along his remote with him, which was buzzing excitedly in rings around its master's head.

"There it is, General," Bao-Dur whispered softly into her ear, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin of her cheek, filling the hollows of her ear. He was pointing at the highrise buildings from which a plethora of people were migrating back and forth.

"Have you made contact with Admiral Onasi yet?" Igrayne queried. Bao-Dur shook his head.

"No. My calls to the Admiral have gone unanswered, which leads me to believe that what we might find in there may be less than appealing..."

His hand tapped hers.

"Keep your lightsaber sharp and your eyes peeled. No telling what we might find in here."

"You got it," Igrayne said, unhooking the cylindrical hilt from her utility belt for easy access to her palm. There were several shady-looking characters bumping into them as they walked on their way, but none who seemed to stand in stark contrast to the everyday rough crowd that usually filtered through Coruscant's seedy clubs and domiciles.

She could reach out with the force and sense that something was wrong, but she wasn't sure exactly what.

All of her fears were put to rest when they approached the deserted hallway of the residential complex. Bao-Dur took the lead, insisting that she stay behind him though she said teasingly that she had taken most of the slack while a general in the wars. He was so driven; he seemed only to care for her health and wellbeing. She knew, if need be, he would give up his life for her.

Bao-Dur knocked first. There was no answer, so he palmed the outside pad with a few digits that Carth had transmitted days earlier. The doorway opened to reveal a black room devoid of any human occupants. Bao-Dur crept in first, flanked by his hissing remote that just didn't seem to know how to be quiet. Then, Igrayne entered.

The room was a mess. It looked as though a natural disaster had just gone through. Things were strewn everywhere, and nobody was in sight.

"They've all gone. We missed them, General."

"Wait," Igrayne said, kneeling on the floor, "what's that?"

With her one gloved hand, she rummaged through the mess to retrieve a small band of passes on a ring.

"Identification tags," Igrayne said, flipping through them for some more clues. She furrowed her brow in consternation. "These were reported stolen recently. I don't get it. What was Admiral Onasi doing with iden..."

"Unless it wasn't Admiral Onasi that was the bearer of them," Bao-Dur interrupted, his voice a harsh whisper. Igrayne narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to point a finger, General," the Zabrak said meekly. Igrayne shook her fist at him by way of motivation.

"No, as your General, I command you tell me what you mean."

"Very well, General, if that is your wish," he said.

"It is."

"It's the scoundrel. I don't trust him, General, but you do. You're too open. If you're not careful, you might get burned one day."

"Atton?" Igrayne asked, laughing. "What'd he be doing with a pair of stolen I.D. tags anyway?"

"The possibilities are countless," Bao-Dur said in an almost bored-sounding voice. "Though, I suggest we act rather than stand around and postulate."

"You're right. We should move. No telling when they might be back, and if they're looking for us," Igrayne said tentatively, following Bao-Dur out of the apartment.

Still, the thought of Atton and a pair of stolen I.D. tags chewed away uselessly at her mind. It didn't seem like much, but could he possibly have been involved in the abduction of the rest of their friends? At least, getting whomever it was who took them safe passage into the apartment would have been easy with a pair of free passes. Still, she wouldn't have expected Atton capable of such deceit.

_Stranger things have happened in this galaxy,_ she told herself before following the Zabrak out of the room to look for their next clue to the whereabouts of their friends.


	12. Accusing Atton

Their first course of action was to find a local cantina. Lucky for them, there was one in the nearby city, so Igrayne and Bao-Dur walked there and ordered a few drinks while sitting at the bar.

"Tell me again what the point of this is?" Igrayne asked while nursing a drink. Bao-Dur's Juma went untouched; it was more for show than anything else.

"Information, General," Bao-Dur said, "We should tap some sources, find out what we can about the kidnappings. Maybe some clues about these."

His mechanical arm slung the I.D. tags across the bar. The barman was lazily cleaning a mug with a dirty old dishrag, looking bored. When the Zabrak shoved the I.D. tags toward him with the added bonus of a few cred chits, the barman raised an eyebrow.

"Extra drink?"

Bao-Dur ignored the question. His normally quiet voice mustered an unprecedented amount of strength that she would never have thought him capable of.

"Heard anything about a few stolen tags down here?"

The barman greedily eyed the credits.

"I might..." His eyes darted furtively from side to side. "Depends on who's askin'."

Igrayne delved into her pocket for some more credits to tempt him, but Bao's hand strayed to her own to prevent her from pulling them out.

"Our names are not important," Bao-Dur stated, "What's important is the origin of these tags."

The barman's wolfish teeth tipped up in a smile as he continued to wipe the mug spot clean.

"All's I know is what I've heard while on the job. Couple a mercs plucked 'em from a Sith officer in the Undercity with the help of a bandit."

"Bandit?" Bao pressed.

"Yeah. Came here once or twice. Can't say I remember much about the guy, though."

Bao-Dur was frustrated. She could sense it in his aura. It was with great reluctance that he produced another few cred chits from his quickly-emptying pocket.

"Does this refresh your memory?"

The barman scooped up the credits hungrily.

"Come to think of it, yeah. Memory's a bit racked as it is, but I do seem to remember the guy who the two mercs did business with. Real scoundrel, he was."

"Can you tell me what he looked like?" Bao queried.

The barman shook his head and ran a hand over the stubble on his chin.

"Average height, medium build. Kind of on the loopy side. Dark hair, dark eyes."

"So, that basically narrows down about three people in this whole cantina," Igrayne muttered under her breath, which earned her a slight glare from Bao-Dur.

"For your silence," the Zabrak said, pushing a couple more cred chits in his direction.

As they were leaving, Igrayne latched herself onto his arm, forcing him to look at her.

"What the hell did you do that for? We're pretty low on credits as it is!"

"We don't want him to spread our business around this facility, General," Bao-Dur said, offended by her tone, "And there was a moment back there where you were prepared to heighten the stakes, yourself."

Igrayne crossed her arms. The cantina, despite its frivolous atmosphere, was always a cause of contention among her and Vrook. He had insisted on her absolute obedience since entering the Jedi Order—and by obedience, he meant abstaining. From everything. Frivolity, drinking, merriment. It seemed all the things she had enjoyed as a nurse were now suddenly forbidden to her.

"Yeah, well..."

She was at a loss for words.

"Let's just keep going."

"What I had planned, General."

They walked out of the cantina after bustling through a batch of brawling aliens who had shaken the place up with their little altercation. Igrayne's mouth twitched with the urge to smile. It had been only a short while since she'd lived at the Enclave, but already she was beginning to miss the little things that had defined her life up until now.

"Where to?" she asked, pausing in the middle of the Coruscant downtown traffic. Bao-Dur took her arm and forced her to keep walking, otherwise they might have made themself a target to anyone looking to sell death sticks.

"Keep going, General. Don't look back...keep eye contact to a minimum," he instructed. She found it ironic that now he was the one that was instructing her, after her years as a General of the Republic. She had coordinated workout times with her troops, created rigorous exercise regimens, and led her men into battle--including the Zabrak, Bao-Dur, and his superior, Kevan. Now the roles were completely reversed, and she felt suddenly helpless.

It wasn't long until they had returned to the empty apartment. As soon as they got in, Bao-Dur padded the key lock and turned on the lights. Igrayne walked to the large, open window beyond which cargo ships and freighters were whizzing.

A sudden noise behind her alerted her to a hidden presence. She spun around, noticing the Zabrak had done similarly. His hand was outstretched, as if to tell her to back off. She didn't. She unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and jumped immediately to attention. Despite her proficiency with the weapon, her assailant had it out of her hands in a mere minute.

She felt two hands on her shoulders, forcing her to a kneeling position. As soon as she succumbed to the weight exerting itself over her, she hooked her legs around his ankles and knocked him off his feet. In a minute, she had reequipped her lightsaber and held it poised above the assailant's head...

Beneath the blue-green glow of the lightsaber's blade, she saw...Atton!

Immediately, she withdrew her hold on the scoundrel's jacket and kicked at him to get up.

"What the hell are you trying to pull, sneaking around here like that?" she screamed louder than she had intended.

In the resulting commotion, she hadn't noticed that Bao-Dur was standing directly behind her. He, too, had equipped his lightsaber in preparation for the attack.

Atton was busy dusting himself off. He gave a final shrug to his ribbed jacket, setting it into place.

"You don't exactly pull any punches, do you?" he said angrily.

"Give me one reason why I should," Igrayne asked, angling her lightsaber's blade closer to his neck.

"Hey, watch where you put that thing!" Atton said, not in the least bit surprised with her new acquisition.

"Answer my question first!"

"I was out...for a walk," Atton replied.

"In the dark?" Igrayne queried. "It must've been one _hell_ of a walk."

"No...I just got back," Atton said.

"And what were you doing out? Where are the others?"

"Is this some kind of an interrogation?" Atton asked, turning scathing. "Should I have brought _representation_ of some kind?"

"Shut it, Atton," Igrayne said, stepping a fraction of an inch closer. She could feel Bao-Dur at her back, ready to pull her back if need be.

"So...when did you two get back anyway?" Atton asked. "You've been gone so long, we thought you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint," Igrayne said, deactivating her saber once she realized the danger wasn't imminent. A nod from Bao-Dur told her that Atton was not as much of a threat as they had perceived.

"Yeah, well," Atton said, running a heavy hand through his mussed brown hair, "It was just a joke..."

"Humor aside, where are the others?" Igrayne asked, growing impatient.

"Well, Evy and I..." Atton shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. "We were having some problems, and she left for the cantina, and I came back here...to nearly have my eyeballs seared out of their sockets by you two."

"Don't give me any ideas," Igrayne said, pointing a finger at him.

It was Bao-Dur's turn to take over. He took her by the shoulders and tried to gently shift her aside, but she said in a harsh whisper,

"What are you doing? Trying to defend him?"

"Let me handle this, General. You're angry, as you should be. But don't let it color your judgment."

Suddenly, all of Master Vrook's teachings came flooding back into her mind, and she relented. After stepping aside to let Bao-Dur pass, she hooked her deactivated lightsaber onto her utility belt.

"Atton," the Zabrak began calmly, taking the I.D. tags from his belt to dangle in front of the scoundrel, "perhaps you can account for these?"

Atton's eyes registered nothing other than non-understanding. He stared blankly from one to the other.

"What are those?"

"Carth and Rani are gone," Igrayne piped up, "and these were what was leftover in the room. Maybe you know something about it?"

"What are you talking about? Do you think _I_ had something to do with this?"

"Well, you don't seem surprised by the fact that they are not here," Igrayne accused. Bao-Dur looked briefly over his shoulder, and she shut up again.

"Didn't have much time to realize before you two jumped on me," Atton replied.

"As good a defense as that is, Atton, you're gonna have to do better than that," Igrayne said again, severely testing her limits.

"Look, if you want to stand here and accuse me of something I _didn't_ do, then you're not the high-and-mighty Jedi I thought you were." Atton paused. "Speaking of which, why _are_ you wearing Jedi robes? And the lightsabers? Don't tell me: you made a commitment till death do you part to the sanctimonious Jedi Order."

"There a problem with it?" Bao-Dur asked him point-blank.

"I don't have a problem with it. I just thought you two were better than that, is all."

Igrayne's hand clenched her lightsaber hilt. Her palm was profusely sweating, making it slippery to hold. She wanted nothing more than to lop Atton's head clean off his shoulders at that moment. The anger was overpowering, and so was the desire to quell it. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, to recall her teachings...

"Atton, this is not what we have come here to discuss," Bao-Dur reminded him. "Where are the others?"

"In the cantina, getting drunk," Atton said with a snicker. "Would you like to join them?"

"Take us to them," Bao said. "This Rani and Carth situation hasn't yet been resolved, and I fear it won't be so without their aid."

They followed Atton the short walk to the cantina. It seemed like dozens more sentients had flooded into the joint in the time they had been gone, and it was as Atton said: most of them were in the process of getting or already were drunk.

At a small booth in the back, Indy and Han sat, engrossed in a game of Sabacc. Indy flipped down a card and scooped all the credits toward her chest.

"Win again; guess that makes you a sore loser!"

Han gave her one of his dazzling smiles. Igrayne could easily see why Indy hung around with him, even if he was a scoundrel.

"'Least I got it where it counts, sister."

Indy looked as though she was going to reply with some smart remark, but stopped when she saw Atton and the others approaching.

"You seen...uh...you seen Evy?" Atton asked tentatively.

"I...uh...I...uh...yeah...uh...saw her headed toward the 'fresher," Indy said, mocking him. Atton stormed off that way.

Igrayne and Bao slid into the seats beside Han and Indy, producing the stolen I.D. tags for them. After explaining the story about Atton's purported involvement in the plot, Indy reached for her revolver. Her movements fumbled a little, as she was drunk.

"Why, I should pop him one..."

Han had one leg crossed over the other and was leaning back against the sandstone wall, thoroughly enjoying his drink. He was already beyond drunk.

"That's if you can reach your gun in time," he replied.

"Listen," Igrayne said, feeling like a prude for not joining them with a drink, "This is important. Carth and Rani are gone. Force knows they might even be dead!"

"I wouldn't worry about it. Those two are probably off by themselves...alone..." Indy said with a snicker. Igrayne raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something I'm missing?"

Han uncrossed his leg and leaned forward with a smile.

"You'd have to be blind to not see it, sister."

Igrayne looked annoyed at the manner in which he addressed her. She was, after all, a Jedi padawan—that alone should merit some respect.

_Oh boy, I am turning into a prude_, she thought dejectedly.

Atton returned a few minutes later with a very annoyed-looking Evy in tow. Igrayne couldn't figure out what was up. She had gone away for a little while and now that she'd returned, everything was different.

Evy seated herself at the table with an inaudible greeting. When Atton saw the I.D. tags on the table, he nearly blanched. Igrayne retained her hold on the tags, showing them around for everyone to see.

"A token left behind by our friendly kidnappers."

"Kidnappers? What do you mean?" Evy asked.

"Admiral Onasi and Rani are gone," Igrayne replied.

"They just went to dinner."

"No, they're gone. The room was sacked. We searched the room, but they were nowhere in sight."

"This is bad," Evy said, turning over the I.D. tags in her palm.

"Now that we're all here, is there anything you'd like to tell us, Rand?" Igrayne queried, the remark directed at a very white-looking Atton. At that moment, he looked as though he wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

"What are you on about?"

"You _know_ what I'm talking about. I'm talking about your involvement with the mercs, about how you were hired by the mercs to steal the tags and get them safely into your apartment. I'm talking about _betrayal_."

Atton's eyes flashed for a moment as she uttered the word, giving him the look of a dangerous killer. She thought, for a moment, he might leap across the table and strangle her at that accusation.

"Bold words from a spoiled princess."

"Wait...Jedi?" Evy asked, blinking. She obviously hadn't digested it all...the robes, the lightsabers, the alert stance...

Her question went unanswered.

"Yeah well, it takes one to know one," Igrayne replied.

"Atton, I think you have some explaining to do," Bao said quietly. "You owe us an explanation at least."

Atton's face contorted into a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Look, let's get one thing straight, Zabrak...I don't owe you anything. Any of you!"

"Cause you were _so_ much better off when we found you," Igrayne said with both arms crossed.

"Fine, you wanna know the truth?"

Atton rose to his feet, commanding the attention of their table...and, Igrayne feared, a few of the cantina's more nosy occupants. She hoped this wouldn't be overheard and reported back to some nearby informants. The information network around here was rife with deceit and blackmail.

"I sold them the tags. They made me an offer, and _I took it_."

Igrayne gaped at him, slack-jawed. She hadn't expected a confession so easily.

"You mean you..."

"Yeah," Atton said, cutting off whatever response she was going to supply him with. "I did it. I'm not going to deny it. No reason to anymore."

"Atton, Look," she said, both hands raised as though trying to calm him. She could already sense the dark cloud that loomed over his head, making his mood blacken and sour.

"Don't you try and reason with me now. You Jedi are all hypocrites. One minute you're all sweet-as-can-be, the next you'd just as soon stab a guy in the back as look at him. I'm sick of Jedi arrogance and Jedi hypocrisy."

Bao-Dur's soft voice spoke up.

"Atton. Nobody's accusing you."

"Spare me. You're just as bad as the rest of them. You're so willing to pass judgment on me _despite_ your shady past."

Bao-Dur's face looked as though it had lost its color at the mention of his past.

"I know all about you," Atton spat with disgust, "Your involvement in the wars, how you built the Mass Shadow Generator. And you have the nerve to stand here and tell me that _I'm_ wrong? This is _exactly_ the kind of Jedi behavior I'm talking about."

"Look, Atton, just calm down," Igrayne said. This only seemed to exacerbate the situation by heightening Atton's anger.

"Oh, you want me to calm down? Then maybe you shouldn't have pointed the finger at me in the first place, _sweetheart_."

The word was so lacking in its usual warmth and delivery that Igrayne actually winced when he shot it at her.

"I don't have to sit here and take this. I'm leaving," Atton said, stalking out of the cantina through the rush of newcomers. They watched him leave, and then Igrayne leaned in to speak.

"That went well, don't you think?" Nobody was responsive to her little joke. "Kidding aside, we do need to confront him about this. He's the only one who knows where they've taken Admiral Onasi and Rani. And wherever _they_ are, Carina and Mical are going to be."

Bao-Dur nodded thoughtfully at her postulation.

"The General's right. We need to find somebody to reason with Atton if we are to help our friends."

Igrayne looked at a suddenly quiet Evy. She was trying to act almost invisible.

"What?"

"You know what," Igrayne said.

"Oh no," Evy replied, "No, not this time. I'm not going to be your guinea pig."

"Please! Our friends' lives may depend on it!" Igrayne said desperately. "If there's one thing your nurse's training taught you, it's to think of someone other than _yourself_."

"There's no way I'm going to talk to him," Evy said.

"Fine," Igrayne replied, "But their blood is on your hands since you refused to."

"Just lay on the guilt, will you?"

"As thick as need be."

Igrayne grinned.

"Fine," Evy resolved. "But I'm _only_ doing this to help the others. That's _it_."

"That's enough for me," Igrayne replied.

The others watched as Evy swung off her chair, straightening out the rumples in her clothes before she exited the cantina in pursuit of Atton.

"Think she'll succeed?" Han asked. Indy shrugged and reached for her empty cup.

"All I know is that I need a refill!"

---------------

Evy paused before entering the suite. It was quiet, with no sound coming from within, so she couldn't tell if Atton was actually inside or not. He might have gone to sulk somewhere else where they wouldn't find him, but it was at least worth a try.

She padded the door open and sidled into the room. It was dark, and useless items were strewn all across the floor. It looked as though someone had been _after something_ in rummaging through all their belongings...

"What do you want?"

The voice startled her from her reverie, drawing her to the present, where a very violent-looking Atton stood perched against the long window overlooking the downtown sector of Coruscant. Evy approached him with tentative steps, trying to prove that she meant no harm.

"Only to talk."

Atton sniffed at that last statement.

"You mean to accuse me some more, don't you? Because there's been a whole hell of a lot of that happening tonight."

"Atton, I don't want to accuse you." Evy paused and licked her lips. "Only...to understand."

"I don't have to explain anything to _you_." Atton's voice dripped venom.

"You're right. You don't."

She didn't really expect him to, anyway, but she'd promised her friend she would at least try. Things were so much easier when she was tending to patients and checking to make sure her inventory of medical supplies and medications were all arranged. Confrontation made her nervous. It was painfully obvious to the scoundrel.

"Then why are you here?" Atton asked darkly, one palm pressed up against the window as he glared over his shoulder at her.

"To talk," Evy repeated with more resolve. Her throat was dry with anticipation.

"There's nothing to say."

"I can listen."

Atton's head rested against the window as he watched the long line of ships go cruising past. For a moment it looked as though he were going to speak. He paused, as though disgusted with himself, and looked away.

"It's not a story you'll want to hear."

"Try me."

Evy seated herself behind him on the couch. She hooked both hands over the edge of her seat in case she needed to make a quick exit. She had never seen Atton with so much darkness hanging over him. There was no telling what Atton might try.

Atton slowly opened his mouth at the suggestion and began to speak.

"I was part of the war effort. Revan and Malak, two Jedi knights, were able to turn the tide of the Mandalorian wars by pursuing the fleeing forces into uncharted regions of space. When they returned, they were changed. They brought with them a huge military force, which they then used to wipe out the remaining Jedi who had been their masters. Adding to that was the threat of the growing Sith movement. Revan and Malak were outcast and eventually ensnared in some trap the Jedi had engineered for them."

Evy didn't understand the need for the history lesson, but was sure it had something to do with what he was going to tell her. Atton continued, at length.

"During the wars...Revan trained elite Sith warriors, to hunt down and kill Jedi. I was part of one of these squads. I hurt Jedi. I hurt them real bad. I was an elite Sith assassin, head of my squad. We found ways—of torturing Jedi, mutilating them, massacring them. And we employed them every opportunity we got."

The sound of Atton's confession chilled Evy to the bone. He was nothing like the Jeran to which she had compared him. There simply was no comparison. Jeran was good and Atton was an evil murderer. She had always thought him slightly off-kilter, but never outright bad. That was all put to rest when Atton first opened his mouth.

Atton's head rested against the glass, his breath making white patterns on its surface. As he spoke, his eyes grew red and puffy, as though the mere memory of what he had done still haunted him to this day.

"We were a tight-knit group. Until the day when one of my men defected and betrayed me."

He looked meaningfully over his shoulder at Evy.

"He was one of my best warriors. I placed all my faith in him, and in return, all I got was a knife in my back."

"Tell me about it," Evy said softly, trying to use her voice to soothe him. It wasn't working, however.

"He nearly had us all killed on one of our missions," Atton explained, "He led us into a trap from which we wouldn't have returned if I hadn't almost shot him down first. We were on our way to apprehend another piece of Jedi scum when he opened fire on us within range."

Atton's eyes closed, soaking in the memory.

"Afterward, he went renegade. He was able to buy in favors with the Republic when he saw the war wasn't going the way he wanted. He knew that, by working for them as a merc, he was hedging his bets. He began fighting for the very Republic _we sought to destroy_."

Evy bristled visibly at the words. Not only had she felt stirrings inside of her for a scoundrel—but for a _Sith_, as well.

"Imagine my surprise when we banded together and I first met Rani, a girl whose holo-pic I'd seen passed over every meal in the mess hall, whose name I'd heard spoken before and after every decisive battle. I knew who she was the minute I laid eyes on her."

He said this very dangerously while looking at Evy and, for a moment, she thought he would jump over toward her and try to rough her up or bully her a bit. She wasn't sure what he would do now that she had seen this side of him. He was exposing one of the most secret parts of himself to her and only her. She might pay the price for it later...

"Destrik deserved to die like the traitor he was, and so does _she_. I did what I did in retribution for his betrayal. Now look at me and tell me you don't believe me. Tell me Rani deserves to be saved."

Evy paused a long moment and thought about it.

"I'm not sure she does."

Atton was more surprised by this admission than anything. He had truly been expecting her to say the opposite but she, once again, had surprised him. She was not as predictable as he once thought.

"Look, you obviously had some bad blood between you and Destrik...and I can't account for Rani...but wouldn't it just be wiser to let it go?"

That was just what Atton had wanted her to say. He was looking for a good fight. Evidently, a bar brawl wasn't enough to hold him.

"Let me ask you something, sweetheart," he said, kneeling before her. "How would you feel if _I'd_ betrayed you?"

"You already have."

He shook his head.

"No. Rani. It's not the same thing."

"Indirectly, it is."

"You don't seem real upset about it."

"I'm just trying to see things logically," Evy said. He jumped in front of her, both hands resting uncomfortably on her knees. She knew that, if he wanted, he could easily overpower her at that moment. Screaming would be futile.

"Well, stop it with your damn logic!" Atton cursed. "You're too forgiving."

Evy's hand rested on his, trying to comfort him. His hand visibly tensed underneath hers.

"It's because I know some people can be saved. The power of redemption is always just within reach..."

He withdrew his hand, standing to his feet.

"Trust me, I'm not worth saving."

Evy stood to her feet without preamble and strode over toward Atton, weaving her hand snugly under his armpit and over his shoulder. Her lips were inches away from him as she whispered,

"_Everyone_ is worth saving."

"Don't waste your breath on me," Atton said softly, gazing into her eyes. She let her hand caress his face. He endured it for some while, even going so far as to close his eyes and seemingly delight in the touch, before he was reminded of where he was and with whom he was with.

"Don't turn away from me," Evy said as he made to walk toward the door. "Let me help you."

"You can help me by leaving me alone," Atton growled.

He stepped out of the room, leaving Evy alone and very confused. She dropped almost immediately to the couch, burying her face in her hands and weeping at all that had just happened. It was so much to devour and yet, all of it seemed to make sense. She had always suspected Atton of never being entirely honest with them, and now she could see why. He had been hurt. Even though he was a bad man, everybody had their faults. Was his worth amending?

_Yes, everyone is worth saving. Everyone. Jeran always said so_, she told herself resolutely, her glazed-over eyes watching the door for any sign of Atton's return.


	13. Havoc Onboard the Leviathan

"Well, well, well," Rayne's amused voice said, bouncing off the metal innards of the ship, "I set out to get one Republic supporter and, instead, I get _two_! Must just be my lucky day."

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Carth said in annoyance. "Release us."

Rayne cocked her head to one side, resting it against the bulkhead as she made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound in her throat.

"Come now, Admiral. You really think I'd release you so easily?"

"You could have some decency at least and free us from our bonds," Carth said, holding his hands up as though in supplication. Rayne crossed her arms over her chest, looking the Admiral up and down.

"I don't think so. I'm not that stupid."

"Neither am I," Carth replied. "What, you think I'll try something?"

"I'd be surprised...and disappointed...if you didn't, _Admiral_."

There was an unexpected amount of bitterness in her voice. She dropped to one knee before Rani, whose Force bonds were eating into her flesh. Already, her wrists were red and raw from the unnecessary amount of pressure they were putting on them. Rayne leaned down, her hand stroking under Rani's chin.

"I have big plans for you, too. Big plans."

"Do any of them involve us breaking free of our captivity?"

"Cute," Rayne said with a knowing smile. "We met before, didn't we?"

"It was on Iridonia, I believe," Rani said. "I never forget the face of a _murderer_."

"Really? I'm flattered," Rayne replied, smiling, "But don't think any amount of flattery will get you out of here. We're on course for _The Leviathan_. I've sent ahead word to Saul Karath that I have you safely stowed aboard this ship. He's dying to see you again, Carth, and he seemed to be particularly interested in your capture, Rani."

"_The Leviathan_..." Carth said almost hypnotically. "Saul Karath's vessel. My old mentor."

"No need to get all nostalgic on me, Admiral, we'll be there shortly."

Carth's hands clutched the bars of his cage, rattling them to try and free himself of his entrapment.

"You know what that man has done to me? He _destroyed my life_!"

"That's just something you'll have to take up with him _once we get there_. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, _Admiral_."

She kicked their cages once more, before leaving the cargo hold and shutting off the lights. In the cool, damp, sterile holding facility, Rani began to shiver. She could hear Carth shifting around in the cell beside her.

"You okay, gorgeous?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

It was a stupid question to ask. Of course he wasn't okay. He'd just suffered a terrible double blow—to lose both his wife and young son, Dustil, in the attacks on Telos. Now, he was being taken to the very man who had enacted those plans for the Sith bombing to commence.

"I've got a lot on my mind," Carth told her. It was understandable. They had both been through a lot and, incredibly, they were still standing strong.

"Who is _Saul Karath_?" Rani asked. He was little more than a name and a symbol to her. She knew he had given the order on Telos, but that was about it.

She could feel him looking at her, even with the lack of light. It was a long, sad look, as though the pain of that name brought up a whole other host of memories he didn't want to even think about.

"Saul Karath was my former commanding officer and mentor, but he was more like a father to me. He was an admiral of the Republic and a decorated war hero of the Mandalorian Wars. _The Leviathan_—where we're going—is his flagship. A worthy addition to the Sith ranks," he said with bitterness.

"I don't understand...what did he do to you?" Rani prodded, moving toward the sound of his voice. In the dark, it was so calming.

"He destroyed my life is what he did to me. He approached me shortly before the Jedi Civil War broke out and said I should start thinking about whose side I was on. I know now that he was trying to recruit me...to lead me over to the Sith. But I was too young to see it then. I suppose I'd fooled myself into thinking he was _on my side_. How wrong I was."

She could tell that Carth was rubbing his temples with his hands, taking deep breaths. All of this seemed too much for him to digest at the moment. Regardless, he continued with his story, if only for Rani's benefit.

"I told you how my wife died. When the attacks began on Saul's command, there was smoke and dust everywhere. Surely you remember. She got caught in some of the fallout, then another blast happened, nearer to where she was. I remember running around frantically trying to find her, and when I did...it was too late. She could barely speak, and I held her while she..."

He covered his face with one hand. Rani wanted to reach through the bars and comfort him, but the electrical impulses stemming from the force bonds prevented her from doing so.

"I'm sorry about everything. Your wife. Telos...Dustil."

Carth had always talked proudly of his son. That was the one thing Rani ever heard him boast about, even if it _was_ with an air of sadness. He had been so proud of the man his son was beginning to become before all hell had broken loose that day. The day their lives were forever stolen from them...

"No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault," Carth said. "I just...I can't believe myself for trusting Saul. How could I have been such a fool? How could I not have known?"

"You can't blame yourself," Rani reassured him.

"No, no. I blame _Saul_, not _me_!" he contended. "I always promised myself that--if I ever had the chance--I'd avenge their deaths. I don't know if it's the Force or what, but something's giving me that chance."

"Carth, no!" Rani said fiercely. "You'll be killed."

"Then so be it."

Rani was saddened by the fact that Carth was so willing to throw his life away for all he had lost...after all he had found. It was as though the past few weeks had never happened. Carth was now living in some dream world, deluded by the fact that killing Saul would bring his wife and son back. That life was over, forever, and she needed him to understand that, if only for her own selfish reasons.

"You can't. What use will you be to the Republic if you're dead?"

"There was always that possibility when I signed up for the fleet. I don't see why it's any different now."

"Carth, don't do this," Rani said.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Carth replied. "Don't think I'll throw away all that we're doing here. I just need...closure."

"Be the bigger person," Rani instructed through the cage. "Just ignore him."

"I can't do that," Carth said sadly. "You're asking me to ignore all that's happened...all of it."

_You're so quick to ignore all that's happened with us, though_, Rani though sadly. She wanted to cry. She had given herself completely up to their growing relationship, despite whatever reservations and guilt she felt over Destrik's death, and his sure disapproval. Carth, however, seemed oblivious to how much she had sacrificed just to pursue a relationship with him.

"I'm just asking you to be reasonable. Please, don't throw your life away for no purpose at all."

"This is a purpose!" Carth said vehemently. "You think my family doesn't matter to me? My family was everything..._everything_! And Saul took that away from me. I'll see him pay for this, I _swear_ I will!"

She knew he would make good on that promise, so she said nothing further.

"Where are Carina and Mical?"

"I can only assume they're being held in a separate holding facility," Carth said quietly.

"I hope you're right."

It wasn't long before she heard the ship heave and shudder as they presumably touched down upon the landing platform of Saul Karath's vessel. She heard footsteps treading down the cold metal stairwell. After climbing the short flight of stairs into the belly of the ship, Rayne stood and surveyed her worthy captures.

"You know, it's funny. An admiral and a civilian. I would've never thought Carth Onasi, of all people, would have a broad like you."

"I'm not his _broad_, and I'd prefer if you didn't use that term in reference to me," Rani corrected her, pushing her face up against the bars as Rayne moved forward.

"Whatever you say, Queen of the Galaxy," Rayne mockingly addressed her.

"Please stop it."

"If you ask me, Carth's been slummin'," Rayne said with a devious smile that lighted her blue eyes. She deactivated their cages so that they both fell out on the cold floor.

"Get up. Both of you. Nice and slow, no tricks."

Carth and Rani did as they were commanded, and both climbed the short ladder up into the cockpit. Carina and Mical were standing there, looking roughed up. Mical had a bruised and bloodied lip that looked like the result of some scuffle, and Carina's clothing was torn in different places. Rani wondered if she'd been pawed by Canderous.

"Rani!" Carina squealed with delight. Even the normally subdued Jedi doctor seemed pleased to see them.

"Are you both all right?" the Admiral asked.

"Yes," Mical replied, "Though we could be better."

"You'll both be rewarded for your bravery when we get out of this, I can assure you. The Republic has ways of taking care of its heroes," Carth promised.

"Not so fast," Rayne cut in, "Don't be making plans for an escape _just yet_. We've got some business to conclude with Saul Karath _first_."

In a short moment, Canderous had joined them. His silver hair was shaped in a neat buzz-cut and he looked like he hadn't shaved his face in a good few days, which wasn't surprising. He was wearing a thin tank that visibly exposed his rippling muscles, and had a bandolier strapped over one shoulder.

"Made contact with Karath, love?"

"Over the comm," Canderous replied, "He's waiting. I suggest we go now, if we want our bonus."

"Patience, love. These things take time to get right."

"You take them. I wait with the ship," Canderous told her, one hand draped over the controls. He seemed very comfortable with being in control, especially when it came to flying.

"Just don't leave without me," Rayne said with a flirtatious glance. Canderous caught her up in his arms for a moment, his hands straying down her legs to grip her buttocks for a moment. His light eyes searched hers before he kissed her once, hard. Rayne returned his kiss in an obnoxiously lustful display. Carth and Rani both averted their eyes.

Canderous grew more insistent, trying to push her up against a bulkhead, despite the company that was with them. Rayne pushed a hand against his chest, forcing him backward.

"No," she whispered, "We must save something for when I return."

Canderous fairly growled, "It better be quick."

Rayne smiled at him one last time before leading Carth, Rani, Carina, and Mical out of the ship and down into the loading bay of _The Leviathan_. Due to their force bonds and a minor stasis Rayne had put them in, their movements were slow and sluggish, which made all thought of an escape even less likely.

At the foot of the ladder, they were greeted by a small company of soldiers, some of whom Carth recognized from his days as a soldier under Saul. He gritted his teeth as they led them, in bonds, through the winding ship's corridors to the audience hall where Carth's old mentor awaited.

He was standing on the bridge with both arms crossed behind his back, looking out over the ship's operations. Row upon row of technicians and pilots lined the upper deck, attending to their computers. As soon as the doors slid open to emit their new passengers, Karath turned around with a smile upon his face.

"Carth," his raspy voice said as his eyes beheld the dull brown eyes of the decorated war hero, "I am somewhat surprised to see you under these circumstances. The years have not been kind. I hardly recognized you."

"But I recognized you, Saul," Carth said adamantly, his heart pumping away at a mile a minute at the sight of his nemesis standing before him. "I've seen you every day in my dreams."

"Touching, Carth," Karath said, "But, touching as this reunion is, I'm afraid it must be cut rather short."

He turned toward Rayne.

"Canderous has wired me the account to deposit the transfer funds in. I'll see to it that it's done right away. The money is yours, as promised."

Rayne nodded at this.

"A pleasure doing business with you."

During the interchange, Carina leaned over and whispered in Rani's ear, "I've got a _bad_ feeling about this!"

"Me too. Just stick close. Who knows? Maybe I can save _your_ butt this time, instead of the other way around!" Rani said.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Carina replied.

Saul went up to Carth and eyed him curiously.

"You know, you were a fool to refuse my offer. You really could have made something of yourself among the Sith ranks. And now, here you stand, a forgotten war hero. Deserted by the very people who made you."

"But not by my friends," Carth muttered under his breath.

"Really, Carth, don't be so naive," Saul replied. "You think these people would stand by you had you not been an Admiral of standing rank? Try to be more politic about how you view things. It would really serve you well."

"I don't take suggestions from a _murderer_," Carth replied. Saul chuckled, showing his glistening white teeth in a pained smile.

"Very well. But answer me one thing...tell me what your Republic friends are up to, and I might spare you your lives. There is no need to die needlessly here today. You can all go free if you tell me what I want to know."

"I'm not going to answer any of your questions about the Republic. I'm not a traitor..._like you_."

"You always liked to do things the hard way."

Saul stiffened his spine and suddenly walked across the deck to where his soldiers were congregated. When he returned, it was with one of his elite Sith troopers. The dark-haired man walked obediently over at Saul's insistence, and stopped before the group.

Rani's heard nearly stopped beating in her chest. She felt like she was going to lose her lunch. There, standing before her, was the spitting image of Destrik. It couldn't be him. Destrik was dead, shot down by the Sith in the attack on Telos...unless...

"My first-in-command," Saul introduced him. Destrik nodded to everybody one by one until, at last, his gaze landed upon Rani, where it lingered for a time.

"He is the one who will be enacting the punishments on you," Saul informed them, "So I suggest you become acquainted with him, for he can be your savior...or your torturer. It is yours to decide."

Saul walked away, waving for his other Sith troopers to lead them away, one by one, to be stripped and prepared for the torture session. Rani's mind was racing with millions of thoughts that were all too garbled to entertain at the moment...the immense pain of torture wasn't even an issue, but Destrik was.

_Destrik. How could you deceive me?_

---------------------

The room was dingy and smelled of death. Rani wrinkled her nose as they entered the lair dressed in their undergarments. She wouldn't have minded so much if it had been Carth and her alone, but with Carina and Mical thrown into the mix, it made things more difficult.

Carina and Mical were led into a separate room, from which a series of various screams and cries were emitting. Carth and Rani waited nervously for the soldier to adhere all the proper bonds to strap them down. Neither said a word as he worked methodically.

He left the room, leaving them in partial silence for the time being. Rani's whole body felt like it was going to burst. Her head was aching, and her couldn't move her arms. She felt like the straps were going to cut off her circulation with how tight they were tied. This torture thing was sounding worse and worse the more Carina's and Mical's screams pierced her ears.

"Friend of yours?" Carth asked under his breath. She was momentarily distracted by the sound of her voice from worrying further about their fate.

"What?" she asked, not understanding.

"That fellow. I saw the way he looked at you, you know."

Rani hung her head, too ashamed to admit it. She didn't want to know that was Destrik in the other room, acting as a possible executioner to her two friends. How could it be possible? She was too much in shock to digest, much less admit to, the idea.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Destrik."

"What?" Carth's brow wrinkled. "But you said Destrik was--"

"Yes." She shook her head fast and furiously. Her eyes were closed and she bit her bottom lip. "Yes, he was."

"Then, I don't understand how..."

"Please, Carth. Don't make this any harder than it already is," she said, her voice beginning to crack. If she was losing her voice, she might lose her courage to face him, too.

She didn't have to worry about that much longer. Evidently, Destrik had finished with the others in the room adjacent to them. A small door opened and he walked in with a few assistants, sterile operating tools in his hand. Rani closed her eyes and wished he would just turn up the charge on the capacitors that were hooked to her body instead of probing around surgically.

"What happened to the others?" Carth immediately stammered. "Are--are they all right?"

Destrik's blank expression changed very little at the mention of Carina and Mical. He had no empathy for their plight at all. He was devoid of all emotion, another tool the Sith used to further their devious purpose.

So, Destrik truly _had_ died. And in his place was another clone. Another tool. This wasn't Destrik standing here before her. It couldn't be.

"For now," Destrik replied, his eyes cold as they beheld the struggling Admiral pinioned to the slab in front of him. He ignored the Admiral and walked over toward Rani, his eyes never once losing their steely edge.

"You," she fairly whispered. She thought she heard a croak in her voice.

"You are surprised to see me," he said flatly.

"Well, yes. Of course!" Rani contended. "I thought you were dead."

"That was your first mistake," Destrik whispered, lifting up his gloved hand to caress the side of her fair. His hand tangled in her hair and he lifted it up to his nose, taking deep pulls of the scent of her. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, she could see the real Destrik lingering somewhere behind that clouded visage.

"Don't touch me," Rani said, shifting her face aside to thwart him from further handling her. Destrik looked offended.

"Why not?" he demanded.

Rani's eyes held the ground. Destrik was sharp; he always had been. He looked from her to Carth and back, putting two and two together.

"I see. Much has happened since I've been '_dead_.'"

"It's not like that," Rani said, licking her lips to revive them of their moisture. Her voice had a shaken edge and tears sprang freely to her eyes, dangling like dewdrops from her lashes.

"Then tell me what it's like," Destrik whispered, stroking aside the hair from her ear so she could hear him talking. He touched her reverently, almost worshipping her, but it was a sickened tough. Not the way in which Carth had touched her. How could she have been so blind to what Destrik was? She'd made the mistake of putting him up on the pedestal for nothing, it seemed.

"You're Sith," Rani spat. His mouth curved, for the first time, into something closely resembling a smile.

"_Sith_ is just a term for something you don't understand."

"No, it's a term for _evil_," Rani corrected him.

"I knew you wouldn't understand. It was easier to lead you to believe I was dead than to try and turn your mind. You were always so damned stubborn." He paused. "Look at me."

His hand grew forceful, grasping her chin to turn her face in his direction.

"I said _look at me_!"

She did as he commanded, too afraid to do otherwise.

"Now, that's better."

His focus shifted to the Admiral, who had been silent all along. He ambled up to him, a crooked grin on his face. His features were marred by the dark side, corrupted and polluted.

"It's too bad you placed your faith in that fool, Atton. He sold you out to us, only he didn't know it. He thought he was doing me a disservice by capturing Rani, when in fact he was rewarding me. I don't know how I shall thank him for this."

Carth shook his head.

"Atton wouldn't betray us."

"Atton would sell his own soul for credits," Destrik said. "I should know. I served with him...under him...for a good number of years. He's not sharp, but he's got a good business sense. Too bad he couldn't sense the _trap_ he was heading into. When I've finished with you, Admiral, and Karath has allowed me to kill you, I shall follow my own pursuits and finish what I should have done all those years ago in killing Atton."

Carth shook his head.

"There's no victory for traitors."

Destrik's grin sharpened.

"Spoken like a true slave of the Republic."

"Leave him alone, Destrik!" Rani cried pitiably from across the room. Destrik turned sharply on his heel, and he was at her side in an instant. She didn't realize how blindingly fast he could move, when wanted. Perhaps it was a quality of his Sith training, of which she had been unaware until now. It was all too much to comprehend. She wanted very much to escape.

"Are you in love with him?" he said, his breath upon her cheek. He pushed his face right up against hers, his lips inches from her own. "Did you sleep with him yet, whore?"

Rani's face contorted at the accusation. She could feel her inner defenses beginning to break. She felt so very weak, and not able to withstand his attack. He was making it very hard for her to be strong.

"No...I..."

"Don't lie to me," he growled straight into her face. His eyes were furious now. "If you lie to me I _swear_ I'll kill you."

"Kill me anyway. I have nothing left to live for," Rani replied, "Everything I thought I had was a lie. I have nothing."

She could sense Carth's sadness at this statement, but she didn't have enough time to process it. Destrik's nose rubbed up against hers as he held her face in both his hands. When he spoke, it was so soft and tender, she might have mistaken the tone for loving if it weren't for the content of what he was saying.

"I want you to look at me when I kill your lover," he whispered softly, "I want to see the anguish in your eyes when you feel what I have felt. And I want to know that you're dying, as _he will_."

"No!"

It was barely more than a whisper, and she was hardly sure it had reached Destrik's ears. With him standing less than an inch away, though, it most likely had.

"What?"

"I said 'no!'" she repeated, louder still. His hand gripped her by the throat, as though toying with the idea of cutting off her air supply. He merely slackened his grip and touched and caressed the sensitive skin of her throat.

"I can cut this throat whenever I want."

He was indoctrinated with Sith teachings and ideas. That was the only explanation for his erratic behavior, other than the fact that he had perhaps suffered some terrible blow in the war that had altered his perception of reality. Whatever it was, it was clouding his judgment, and the Destrik she knew had ceased to exist.

Destrik backed off for a moment and returned to Carth, who was squirming in his bonds. He balled his hand into a fist and leveled it at Carth's chin. He struck an unlucky blow that knocked Carth nearly unconscious.

"Now, let the games commence. Admiral Karath has ordered that you be tortured until you speak about the Republic. If you comply with all that he asks, you may be granted immunity."

Rani shook her head definitely, her curls rippling.

"What you're doing is wrong, Destrik. Please, hear me."

He raised one black brow at her inquisitively.

"You remember how we met?" Rani asked, close to tears. "Do you remember that day? I was stocking supplies and you came by to ask..."

"Don't," Destrik said, "That life is over. Don't talk about it ever again."

She was understandably silent as he geared up the machines to begin the interrogation process, though it was more for his own sadistic measure since Carth was as close to unconscious as possible without being totally knocked out.

"Don't touch him!" Rani squealed. She could hear Carth screaming as the energy shot through his body, crippling him. He would be paralyzed after a session like this, if he was even still alive.

Destrik only tested the machine further. He almost thrived off Carth's painful screams and the feeling of immense satisfaction it gave him.

"Please!" Rani screamed, her voice lost in sobs. "Please, I'll do anything you ask!"

Destrik paused a moment, giving Carth a temporary reprieve. He turned to her and looked her over appraisingly.

"Bargaining will get you nowhere. I received intel reports from Rayne about you and the Admiral. Don't think I'm stupid."

"I don't!" she contested.

"Then tell me why," he said, resuming his hold on her throat. "What's so bloody fascinating about him that isn't about me?"

She shook her head, unable to speak. Her head felt like it was going to burst. She felt something in her neck crack as Destrik's fist tightened.

"Des..." She lost her ability and the will to speak. Part of her just wanted him to kill her and have it be done with. There was no reason to go on living anyway. But Destrik decided to punish her by releasing her from his grip.

She drew in a deep breath as though she had just broke the water surface and found an abundance of oxygen waiting for her. Almost immediately, Destrik's hands were upon her, trying to force some sort of entry into her personal space. She didn't have time to think as she was fighting with him, fighting to preserve some shard of dignity. She could feel him ripping her clothes, feel the weight of his body heave onto her.

"Stop!" a voice issued a command in haste. Destrik paused momentarily, Rani's half-naked limbs unwittingly wrapped around him. There, in the doorway, stood an armed Sith trooper.

"Admiral Karath's sent me to inquire on the progress of the interrogation." The man seemed almost amused as he noted, "But, from the looks of it, you're more about play than work."

"Get the hell out of here," Destrik stated.

"Can't dismiss me. Admiral's orders," the man contested.

"Fine," Destrik growled. "You may oversee the procedure."

Rani was grateful for the interruption that spared her further shame and embarrassment. But she wasn't grateful for the fact that the attempt on Carth's life was about to commence. She felt her world dissolving into darkness...


	14. A Ghost from the Past

Back on Coruscant, Igrayne, Bao, Han, and Indy were still at the cantina. They had been discussing the matter about Atton. The opinions varied, but probably the least judgmental of them was Indy's. She was convinced that there was more behind it than just credits and said that they shouldn't judge so quickly.

The fact that Indy, who was actually quite distrustful if given the chance, had warmed up to Atton so fast irritated Han to no end, but he kept quiet.

After the discussion had ended, they sat there in silence, not really knowing what to do. Indy had finally stopped drinking and was rummaging in her bag.

Pulling out something wrapped in cloth, she looked at Bao and Igrayne.

"You two are Jedi now right?" she asked them, motioning to their outfits and sabers. Igrayne nodded quietly. After the happenings with Atton, she had decided to stay silent, but she changed her mind about that when she saw Indy unwrap the item. Her curiosity took hold of her.

When Indy was finished unwrapping it they saw that it was a crystal. It was a brownish color and it seemed to be glowing. Igrayne and Bao leaned closer, and Han fixed the thing with a curious stare. It was obvious he didn't know about it.

"I was wondering—do you happen to know what this is? I think its some sort of crystal..." She paused, and glanced around. "…Infused with the Force." When she finished the sentence Han sent her a odd stare. Indy didn't believe in the Force, did she?

"I'm considering that it's that because ever since I got it, I've been having these odd dreams..._really_ odd dreams." She paused again, doubt written all across her features.

"Go on," Igrayne urged. This stone was unique indeed, and Indy was right, it did seem to be infused with the Force.

Indy eyed Han from the corner of her eye. If she said it aloud in front of all of them she would be mocked if it was nothing.

Taking the crystal and dragging Igrayne away from the table she said quietly. "I found it some weeks before I met you guys... and these dreams... they were really odd. When I saw you guys I thought I was going crazy." She seemed skittish as she said this, unsure.

"Why?" Igrayne questioned. This was proving to be interesting.

"I..." She gave a heavy sigh. "I had a dream that we met you guys _before_ we met you..." She trailed off. Igrayne was silent.

"I don't want it anymore." Indy said adamantly, shoving the stone to Igrayne. "For some reason I can't bring myself to smash it, so I'm giving it to you. I want to rid myself of those horrible dreams! The screams... the pain... its _real_, I can feel it!"

Igrayne accepted the crystal in question, not knowing whether to thank or fault Indy for giving her the possessed piece. She took a look at it and quickly pocketed it. It might make a good addition to the new lightsaber she was planning to construct with Bao's help, but if what Indy said was true, she'd be better not to meddle with it at all. Perhaps when they got back to the markets in Coruscant she'd be able to sell it for a decent price.

Igrayne and Indy seated themselves with the others at the table. Han had his legs crossed over the table in a very comfortable stance.

"Do you think Evy made any progress?" Igrayne wondered.

"She'd had to, otherwise she'd be here right now," Han postulated. "Don't you think?"

"You're right. I'm just being paranoid," Igrayne said. She could feel Bao's leg pressed up against hers, and the proximity was making her comfortable. Was it just her, or was the crystal actually _hot_ in her pocket?

"Well, look who's here!" Indy said in greeting as a very frazzled-looking Evy came and seated herself quietly at the booth in back. "We were just talkin' about you!"

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Evy replied.

"Well? Success?" Igrayne asked, trying to be respectful to her former superior at the same time as getting more information from her.

"I don't know. I'll have to give him some time. He's confused."

Indy rolled her eyes.

"Confused is an understatement. Hopelessly lost is more accurate."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Evy said bitterly, a slight edge to her voice.

"What happened in there? What'd he say?" Igrayne prodded. Evy shrugged casually. She didn't want to divulge the details of their discussion and betray Atton's confidences. Somehow, it just seemed wrong.

"He admitted to nicking the tags and selling them to the mercs for a few credits. Guy plays Pazaak all the time, you can't exactly expect him to pass up a free opportunity for creds!"

Igrayne nodded.

"Just as I thought. Well, _I_ can't be bought so easily."

"Look, why don't you just leave him alone? He has enough on his plate as it is!" Evy snapped. Igrayne was taken aback at her sudden and uncharacteristic loss of control.

"What?"

"I mean...he just needs some time...to think about what he's done. That's all."

"Oh...okay. Well, we'll give him time, but he better give us answers when he returns."

"He will," Evy promised.

"He _better_," Indy chimed in.

Evy secretly hoped that was the case, though there was no telling what Atton would do. She hoped he would be able to help them, despite whatever anger he harbored toward Rani. She hoped some part of her speech would get through to him.

----------------

Atton was in the cantina wasting away the last of his credits on a losing hand of Pazaak. He still wore the same brassed off look upon his face, especially now that he was losing his fifth and final hand of Pazaak...and to a Rodian, no less.

The creature chortled with amusement as he turned over a total of twenty points and swept the remaining few credits across the table toward himself.

"You really know how to rid a guy of his hard-earned creds!" Atton fumed, though he hadn't truly done a hard day's work in all his life to earn his small inheritance. Most of it had come from cruising the cantinas, gambling, staking his life's worth on a hand of Pazaak here or there.

"Cheap loser," the creature said in Rodese.

"Yeah? Well, same to you!" Atton cried out in vain as the creature ambled off. He rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. He hadn't shaved and he was beginning to smell. Bao had, once or twice, politely reminded him that his aroma was less than appealing and that he should maybe think about taking a dip in the 'fresher. But the 'fresher was the least of Atton's worries. He had no more credits, and his luck was gone.

He shoved both hands deep into his pockets, sipping the last of his juma. He'd already worked up a tab with the bartender, one he hadn't intended on paying before they fled this dump of a planet. He'd run up scores of other bills in locales all over the galaxy, which earned him more than a few nasty glares whenever he set foot in a similar establishment.

"Go away, I'm not playing anymore," Atton said, slurring his words as he saw someone slink nearer to the table, probably to have a hand or two with him. He wasn't surprised that the other sentients saw his losing streak and wanted to take advantage of it. He would, too, if he was in their position.

"That's a shame," the distinctly feminine voice replied, "Because I was hoping you'd humor me for a few minutes at least."

Atton opened first one eye and then the other. There was Evy standing before him, looking flushed in her layers and layers of concealing clothing. Clothing that, if he'd had the chance, he'd want to strip away piece by piece...

Atton rubbed his eyes and shook the thought from his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking with his...well...

"What do you want to talk about? I thought we were done talking."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to pester you. I just wanted to bring you back to the apartment. You've had too much to drink and you've gambled away your life," Evy said. "Now it's time to come back to reality."

"No thanks," Atton said. The offer wasn't in the least bit tempting. Even less tempting was the thought of being booted from the establishment by the proprietor, who was currently watching the interchange with a heightened amount of interest.

"Come on, give me this," Evy said, snatching away his glass.

"Hey!" Atton yelped.

"Sorry, Atton, no more Juma for you. You're a nasty drunk as it is."

"Don't go throwing compliments at me, sweetheart. It won't get me to talk," Atton said nastily. Evy held his arm, wondering why she even bothered with the scoundrel. Slowly, she was able to ease him up out of his chair and begin walking with him toward the door.

"Just come with me. Come on."

"Hey!" the voice behind them called. "Someone's gotta pay for that!"

Evy looked at the discarded Juma glasses...and the three or so more piled up beside them. Thinking fast, she said,

"Put it on my tab."

The barman grumbled something inaudible as Evy helped Atton out the door and down the street. He was stumbling a little, but she was there to help guide him into the apartment.

Atton walked in sloppily and plopped down on one of the couches. He was nursing an enormous headache as a result of an impending hangover. He covered his eyes with his hand and howled softly.

Evy rummaged through their food storage to produce a cool drink and something to ease the pain of Atton's headache. She administered the medication first, then offered him the drink.

"Drink."

He did as she instructed, too sick to want to argue with her at the moment. Once he downed the medicated tablets, he took a long swig of the drink then set it aside.

"You should feel better in an hour or so," Evy said, seating herself beside him. Her hand was upon his knee in a most reassuring position. Atton's eyes looked down at its position, shifting his leg a little when it became clear he was uncomfortable with her close proximity.

"Why are you helping me?" he queried.

"I _already_ told you," Evy said in exasperation, "It's because I think you deserve a chance. Scoundrel or not, _everyone_ deserves a fair shot at life."

"What you're doing is charity," Atton spat.

"No!"

The word was uttered in haste, and struck the air with a resounding chord. Atton's neck swiveled around to take in Evy's serious eyes. She gripped his wrist closer, trying to make him see...

"No, it's not charity. I don't pity you, Atton, but sometimes I think you pity yourself."

There was not much to argue with. It was a plain truth and Atton knew it. Instead, he settled himself back against the couch, meditating over her words. He groaned at his persistent headache.

"Ouch."

"You big baby. Let me feel," she said, offering up her hand to touch his forehead. When he was hesitant at first, she said, "I won't hurt you."

His forehead was damp and clammy to the touch. Evy was surprised when the contact brought a mingling feeling of warmth and sweat at the same time. She reached back over the seat for some other medications to dab over his brow, some that would ease the sweating.

"Here, let me," she said softly, her hand massaging his temples in slow circles. He suffered the touch for some time before realizing how close they were on the couch, how their were legs pressed together, how all he would need to do to kiss her would be to lean in a little more...

Evy turned away and put down the discarded meds once she was sure it was doing its work. Atton's flush had cleared up, and he looked to be back to normal in no time.

"There, good as new," she said cheerily.

"Still hurts," he muttered.

"Where?" she asked gently.

He took her hand in his own and tapped it lightly to his heart. "Here." Then, he moved her hand up to his neck and placed it just under his adam's apple, so close she could feel him swallow. "Here." Then he took two of her fingers and led them up the long slope of his neck to his chin, where they came to rest upon his soft lips. "Here."

Evy couldn't resist the temptation. It would've taken a woman with a lot more resolve, and she simply didn't have it. She smiled prettily and leaned forward, letting her lips rest upon his neck, beginning the long trail up the slope of his neck toward his mouth. When she reached his lips, she paused for a long while.

"We shouldn't do this," she said. "There's too many things..."

"Doesn't matter," he said, pulling her in to cover her mouth with his. Her body immediately responded to the kiss. It had always been on her mind, ever since he pushed her down into the mud and their lips met. Now, she was once again satisfied to hold him near and be with him like this.

Evy wove her hand through his hair, gripping a fist full of it at the back of his head to elicit a quick, sharp intake of breath from Atton. He clutched her around the waist, similarly, taking her leg to wrap around his waist. As he was lifting her with all the strength in his upper body, Evy couldn't shake the excited feeling coming over her. He lifted her up effortlessly and brought her across the room, where he shoved her up against the wall and continued his ceaseless plundering of her mouth.

She could feel his hands beginning to stray, and she didn't mind...she wanted his exploration to continue until he found what it was they both wanted...

The door slid open with a hiss and in walked Igrayne, Bao-Dur, Indy and Han. The expressions they all wore on their faces were one of shock. Atton immediately released Evy, looking embarrassed. She tried desperately to put her clothes in some semblance of order, but it was useless. They had already seen her and the scoundrel in a _quite_ compromising position. To hide it now would undermine their intelligence.

"So, you two getting reacquainted?" Han asked with a cocky grin. Indy couldn't stifle the small laugh from escaping her lips.

"From the looks of it, I'd say Evy's trying to _pound_ Atton for information."

Evy, incensed, ran off to the 'fresher to bolt herself inside the door. Igrayne's hold tightened on her lightsaber. Her plan to get Atton's intel about the whereabouts of their friends had backfired, resulting in a most inconveniently-timed tryst with Evy. That wasn't what she had expected at all.

"What do you want?" Atton growled.

"Atton, the door was unlocked. There was no way for any of us to know..." Igrayne began.

"Get out!" Atton yelled. "All of you!"

The zabrak raised both hands to try and calm the scoundrel.

"Atton, we mean you no harm. We didn't expect you to be here."

"And who the hell else did you expect to find? Darth Malak?" Atton asked bitterly.

"Atton, we need to know what you know about the others," Bao-Dur said calmly. Igrayne could sense an urgency in his tone, which was apparently oblivious to the disagreeable scoundrel.

"I don't know nothin'! I told you already."

"He's lying," a voice softly said over his shoulder. The others turned to find that Evy had re-emerged from her place in the 'fresher, wearing a grave look on her face.

"He told me everything...how he stole the I.D. tags to sell to the mercs, and arranged for the capture of Rani and the Admiral."

Atton looked as though she'd just betrayed him. She felt guilty for telling the others, but she'd had to. Now, whatever chances she'd ever hoped of having with the scoundrel were ultimately dashed. He'd suffered one betrayal at the hands of Destrik, and another might shut him off completely from the rest of the sentient world.

"They're on their way to Saul Karath's vessel as we speak, in hyperspace," Evy explained.

Bao-Dur jumped to attention, walking over to the small computer terminal that stored important information to conduct a search on some coordinates.

"If we leave now, we can just make it in time for the run-in," Indy said eagerly, her hand straying to her revolver. Han held his hands up.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Marching into Saul Karath's vessel is not my idea of a party."

"Have a little backbone, will ya?" Indy taunted. Han shot her a glare that made her think the better of her words.

Meanwhile, Atton and Evy were at a standstill. He just glared at her as though she were the most hated person in the world, and she, in turn, stood helplessly watching him. She couldn't move or say anything to ease the pain of her betrayal. None of the others seemed to know. To them, she was just an innocent. But in Atton's eyes, she was more guilty than Destrik himself.

"Let's leave now, while we still have the chance!" Bao-Dur said, grabbing a hydrospanner to twist on the activator of his remote. The remote buzzed and whirled excitedly around the zabrak's head.

"All right. Let's all file onto _Centurion's Blade_," Indy offered.

"Sounds like a good idea. Hurry!" Igrayne said, as they all ran toward the port where the ship was docked, oblivious to the death looks that Atton and Evy were throwing each other.

------------------

Upon arriving back onto the Centurion's Blade, everyone worked on situating themselves once again. Indy and Han claimed their table in the corner, where they commenced a few rousing games of Sabacc, and Igrayne and Bao-Dur headed to the cockpit in preparation for takeoff. Atton stormed off to the dormitories as he threw one last glare at Evy, and she stared after him as the door thudded to a close. Still feeling guilty, she momentarily considered joining one of the others, but she was still far too embarrassed to confront anyone after her amorous little display with Atton.

With seemingly no other choice, Evy retreated to the women's dormitory, where she immediately plopped down onto one of the beds and sprawled out on her back. As she stared blankly as the ceiling, scenes from her most recent encounter with Atton flashed through her mind with a mingle of satisfaction and guilt. It was certainly unexpected, and Evy had surprised even herself that she had let herself go so far. She had been so close to him… and she had been even closer to getting herself into a huge mess.

Frowning deeply, she silently wondered what would have ensued if Igrayne and the crew hadn't intruded upon them. Something within her mind welcomed the thought, but her logical side scolded her for being so frivolous. And then, thoughts of _him_ popped into her brain…

_Say you'll wait for me. Say you'll always wait._

The words hit her like a cold slap of reality. Jeran would not be pleased with her most recent behavior, and she immediately felt ashamed. With his dying breath, Evy had sworn to wait for him, and now she was more than willing to become intimate with Atton, a man she hardly knew.

_But can I really allow myself to live in his shadow for all eternity?_ she found herself pondering. _He's dead and you need to move on with your life…_

Reflecting upon her current situation in solitude seemed to earn her nothing, except for a headache… so Evy decided that it was time to confront Atton once again. The scoundrel probably wouldn't listen to her, but it was at least worth a try… 

Evy stood up purposefully, as she straightened her clothes before heading off to Atton's room. She stood outside of the door for a few moments before finally mustering up the courage to speak to him.

"Atton?" she called his name softly, as she knocked upon the door. "Atton, we need to talk."

Not surprisingly, she received to reply.

"Come on, Atton…open the door. I want to talk to you."

The voice that sounded from inside of the room was bitter and intimidating, and Evy winced involuntarily. 

"What, you wanna come in here to get more information out of me? Sorry, sister… I'm sick of being used. Go bother someone else."

"Please, Atton…" she pleaded quietly, as she swallowed a growing lump in her throat. "Don't shut me out now. I want to help you."

Evy was surprised as the door opened up a crack, allowing her to see Atton's face. His eyes were still red and bleary, and a grim expression was set upon his features.

"You don't want to help me…" he said darkly, meeting her gaze. "And if you do, it's only because you want something from me. Or maybe it's because you just want to make yourself feel better by saving everyone in the galaxy."

Atton opened the door all the way, allowing her to see him so that he could better convey his point as he continued.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised… you damn Jedi are all the same. You don't realize it, but you think about yourselves above everything else. You just disguise it as sympathy and compassion, but really, it's all about you…"

Evy shook her head, regarding him with a somber expression.

"It's not like that, Atton, and you know it. I really _do_ want to help you."

She watched as the scoundrel made his way to his belongings on the other end of the room, and he pulled out a bottle of Juma, taking a long swig from it.

"I wish you wouldn't do that…"

"Yeah yeah… save it for someone who cares," said Atton as he waved her off. "Just leave me alone, will ya?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere," she stated firmly, crossing her arms defensively. "Listen… I'm sorry if you feel betrayed. But I had to tell them sooner or later. It was inevitable."

Atton glared at her, as he took another swig of alcohol. "No, it wasn't inevitable. You didn't have to tell them."

Evy scoffed at him, as she gave a sardonic laugh. "What was I supposed to tell them, then? That a little Gizka hopped onto my shoulder and whispered the information into my ear? Somehow I don't think they would have bought it…"

"You could have used your imagination," argued Atton, looking more angered by the second as he waved the Juma bottle around in his hand. "Now everyone knows that I'm a liar and a cheat. What are you going to tell them next, huh? That I'm a murderer? Or how 'bout the fact that I'm a Sith?"

"No, I wouldn't tell them that…" said Evy meaningfully, "I would never tell them that. You confided in me and you trusted my word… and I know that I was wrong to tell them the information. But my friend's lives are in danger. I needed to tell them. It was the right thing to do."

The Juma was apparently taking it's effect, and Atton advanced toward her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Evy briefly considered making a run for it, but she stood her ground.

"Yeah? Well sometimes doing the right thing hurts people in the process…" he said, as he looked down at her rather menacingly. "And quite frankly, I'm sick of being hurt! I'm sick of everyone feeling sorry for me, and lying to me just because they think it'll make me feel better about myself… sometimes I just wish people wouldn't bother. I was meant to be alone. People just can't see that."

Evy looked sincerely into his eyes, trying to find some trace of the vulnerable man she had seen earlier in the apartment, but all that remained was someone who was broken and betrayed. It was almost difficult to believe that someone could harbor so much pain and resentment toward the world. They continued to look at each other for several moments before Evy spoke quietly, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Just for the record, I didn't lie to you, Atton. I never lied to you. And I never would. Everything that happened earlier in the apartment… everything I said to you and everything I did… none of it was a lie. It was real. You don't have to be alone."

Atton seemed to contemplate her words for a moment, but when he didn't look convinced, Evy affectionately extended a hand to his face. Her hand has scarcely touched his cheek before he recoiled from her, still looking extremely wounded as if her caress had actually caused him physical pain.

Evy released a disappointed sigh as she frowned deeply, regarding Atton with a pitying expression.

"If anyone's lying to anyone, it's you, Atton," she stated solemnly, "You've got to quit deceiving yourself. Then maybe one day you'll see that you're not so alone in this world."

Without saying another word, she turned around and swiftly left the room, once again leaving Atton to bask in his sorrows. Atton stared after her, as her words resonated through his brain. His brow furrowed as he tried to reflect upon what had just happened, but his Juma-induced headache was making any form of thinking rather difficult. Feeling incredibly frustrated, Atton sat down upon his bed and continued to consume the bottle of Juma, silently wishing to drown any thoughts of Evy from his mind…

---------------

Mical cautiously opened his eyes, making sure that he and Carina's torturer was really gone. As he peered carefully around the room, he realized that Karath's first-in-command had mistakenly assumed that he had knocked Mical unconscious with the torture. He could still remember what the man looked like—his eyes had been empty as he inflicted the terrible pain on them. He seemed like he did not want to get his hands dirty as he used electric shock and directed his assistants to slash at them with various serrated blades. It was almost like the raven-haired man was elsewhere, using the torture of Mical and Carina almost as a warm-up. Mical shuddered as he imagined what the man had wanted to do to Carth and Rani.

Soft groaning pulled Mical out of his disturbing reverie, and he looked over to see Carina regaining consciousness. He wished that she would stay blacked-out, since being insensible would mean that she would not have to feel the pain of her wounds. She slowly became more and more aware, and eventually she turned to look at Mical. She was surprised to see that his usually bright blue eyes were now a steely grey.

_Must be from the pain_, she thought groggily.

As her awareness returned to her, so did her senses, and she suddenly shrieked as an intense pain shot through her body.

"Carina? Are you all right?" Mical asked with panicked concern in his voice. 

"I… it hurt so bad. Some sort of stabbing pain traveled through me," she answered, her voice weak with pain.

"It is your nerves reacting to the shock torture," he said matter-of-factly.

"But the machines are off," she said exasperatedly.

"Yes, but your nerves are still hyper-excited from the overload of electricity that was conducted through them. Essentially, your body still is not sure if the torture is over."

Carina looked at him with a strange expression. "Thanks, doctor," she finally said sarcastically.

He looked ashamed for a moment before adding, "Those pains will go away shortly; it is your other wounds that I am worried about." 

"How is it that you seem to be in little pain?" Carina asked, clearly noticing his very lucid state of mind.

"I used the Force to shield my mind during the torture, to help prevent pain from clouding my thoughts."

"Oh," she said, evidently not wanted to pursue the topic.

Carina then looked over Mical's body. There was a large and fairly deep slash across his chest that was weeping blood, an almost cavernous wound on his upper thigh that had sent blood all the way down his leg and onto the floor, and the last cut was superficial and ran from his cheekbone to his jaw line. Tears sprung to her eyes as she took in his injured body. Despite her own severe pain, she had an enormous desire to go to him, heal him, fix his broken body. She probably would have if it weren't for the restraints, holding her limbs in place.

Another painful tremor shot through her, and when it was over, she breathlessly appraised her own wounds. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but it wasn't pretty. Her ankle was bent at an odd angle from when one of the torture assistants kicked her savagely. There was a gash down to the bone that traveled the entire length of her upper arm. There was also a series of shallow jagged cuts across her side. Her arm was bleeding very badly, and her ankle was definitely broken, but she would live. This astounded her.

"Why didn't they kill us?"

"Both of us held our silence; they did not get the information they sought," Mical answered.

Carina's mind worked overtime, and she realized that there was more to the story.

"No," she said finally, "that isn't why. They do want to hurt us. They won't hold back on giving us pain, but they need us alive for some reason."

Mical looked at her questioningly, amazed by her sharp thinking through her pain.

"They want to use us," she said.

----------------

Destrik took long strides as he approached his commander. When he reached the Admiral, he stopped, stiffened to attention, and saluted.

"At ease…tell me," the older man began, "how your interrogation fares so far?"

"Sir, I have not been able to garner any information from the captives as of yet, but I promise you I will do whatever necessary to get it." Destrik's normally hazel eyes took on a red cast as he said it.

"That will not be necessary, soldier," Saul replied.

Destrik began to protest, but immediately stopped himself, remembering that he was speaking to his leader.

Saul smiled evilly, "Don't worry, Destrik, I will not deprive you of your vengeance as long as it still fits my plans. Turns out, I need all of them alive, for now. Have the two 'jedi' moved to the prison hold, and make sure they are guarded well. You can keep Onasi in the torture chamber, but make sure the only torture he receives is to keep him incapacitated, I don't want any permanent damage done to him."

"May I ask, sir, what you plan to do with them?" Destrik said in a measured voice, trying his hardest to mask his interest in what was to come of Rani.

"No," Saul Karath answered, "ah, Destrik you always were a bold one. Good thing I prize that in my top soldier. However, your intents are easy to read, you must learn to mask your desires if you want to get anywhere with the Sith."

"Yes, sir," Destrik replied automatically.

"I will deal with Carth Onasi myself, however, I don't want him feeding off that woman's presence in any way. I place her under your watch. Her name was… Rani, right? You are to treat her as you wish, just don't kill her."

"Yes, sir," Destrik said again, this time with more enthusiasm.

"That is my reward to you. You may go."

Destrik saluted Admiral Karath once more before turning smartly on his heel and marching toward the torture chamber where his present from Saul awaited. 

---------------

Rani's throat had gone raw as she screamed Carth's name over and over again as he writhed in complete agony from the electric torture that was being inflicted on him. 

She was struck with irony as the memory of the bombing of Telos when she found Destrik's seemingly lifeless body came flooding back. She had called his name in terror in this very way that she was now screaming Carth's.

Suddenly, the door to the torture chamber opened, and Destrik strode inside and held a hand up to the man who was torturing Carth, signaling him to stop. Destrik took the man to the side, quietly giving him orders. Rani couldn't hear them over her own racking sobs. She almost didn't care as she couldn't tear her eyes away from Carth's trembling body. 

Destrik walked over to her and quickly removed her bonds. As soon as they had been removed, Rani collapsed to the ground.

"Get up," he said, his voice commanding and harsh, a tone that Rani had never heard once in their years together.

She struggled to, she would do anything to prevent Carth from receiving any more pain, but she failed miserably. Destrik's eyes stayed trained on her as she struggled.

"You are still the same, Rani," his voice was almost soft.

She looked up at him, blinking back frustrated tears.

"Still stubborn, and weak, and stupid," he scoffed.

She was shocked. Even now that she had seen that Destrik was purely Sith, she had a hard time dealing with his 'new' personality. The Destrik she had loved would have never spoken to her like that.

She stared at him, her large eyes betraying the emotional upheaval she was going through. Destrik seemed uncomfortable under the scrutiny of her continued stare. He reached down, picked her off the floor, and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. He practically began to drag her out of the room.

"No!" she cried weakly, her exhaustion taking its toll on her, "I won't leave Carth."

Destrik suddenly threw her across the floor. She slammed against the wall hard. He closed the distance between them, reached down, and backhanded her across the face. The force of the blow slammed her to the ground on her side, and she stayed there. But Destrik's assault wasn't over. He ran his hand up the nape of her neck, and when he found her hair, he clenched his fist in it, grasping her curls roughly, and jerking her back to a sitting position. He crouched down next to her, his face, contorted with anger, mere inches from hers.

"You won't leave him, like you left me," his words were full of accusations.

She felt like there was no more room to feel any worse at this point, but at his statement, guilt crashed over her.

"You left me for dead and went on with your life as if nothing ever existed between us," he continued, his voice a mere whisper now.

"So did you," Rani said, her defiance returning.

"Follow Admiral Karath's command," Destrik said to the Sith soldier while grabbing Rani's arm roughly, pulling her to her feet, and dragging her out of the room. Rani looked back for as long as she could, her eyes meeting with Carth's, before the door to the torture chamber was closed.

----------------

Mical sensed through the force that someone was approaching.

"Act unconscious, now!"

Carina recognized the urgency in Mical's voice and obeyed. Several men entered the room, and much to both Carina and Mical's astonishment, the men cleaned and bandaged their wounds. Carina held her farce of being passed out with much difficulty. It was extremely hard not to scream out, or even flinch as her injuries were being tended to, especially when her broken ankle was being reset. She could feel Mical's soothing presence reaching out to her through the force as this was happening, and she had responded to his touch through the force. She was convinced that this had been the only thing that kept her from betraying their true state of mind. 

They were then released from their torture bonds only to be recuffed with Force bonds. As they were being dragged to the prison hold, Carina schemed of ways to escape, but had rejected all of them as she realized that she would not only endanger her and Mical's lives, but Carth and Rani's as well. Besides, how would she get off the ship even if she did break free of these men?

----------------

Destrik dragged Rani halfway through the ship just to reach his quarters. Because of his loyalty to Saul, Destrik was given his own living quarters. He quickly unlocked and opened his door, and closed it just as swiftly behind him.

Rani expected another beating, but instead, Destrik led her to the fresher, throwing her a towel and some clothes.

"I don't even want to see you again until you wash the stink of that man off you."

Rani accepted the towel and clothes shakily, not quite understanding Destrik's motive for wanting her to shower.

_Perhaps it's just so he can do with me what he wants later_, the thought involuntarily popped into her head. She brushed it off as she stepped in the sonic shower system and let the pulsing blasts of warm water careen over her back and shoulders. Though the water was warm, she was still chilled. Perhaps it was the thought of what she was doing that bothered her most...

She reached for a towel after turning off the short burst of water, letting it dull to a dribble. She shook the water completely out of her hair then wrapped the towel around her body. The tiny 'fresher was barely big enough to fit two people, and still she had a hard time moving around in it. The buzzing of the 'fresher's various electrical outlets coupled with the hum of the ship's engines overpowered Rani's own palpitating heart.

She looked into the mirror after rubbing off the dewy residue and gazed long and hard at herself. She could barely recognize the image that glared back at her, but she wasn't surprised by that. It had been an enormous strain of a two weeks, and visible effects were taking its toll on her body.

She slipped on the clothing Destrik had prepared for her and styled her hair accordingly. The garment was expensive, with intricate detail on the hemline and neckline. It made her look like a senator, or some other dignified personage from offworld. Not Rani, who she truly was.

_Well, if this is the facade he wants to see of me, then we're even_, Rani thought.

She gathered the dress so she wouldn't slip and walked out into the room. The lights weren't activated, and Destrik was gone. She tried pacing for a while before she tired herself out and decided to have a seat on the edge of the bed. She was just beginning to grow impatient with waiting, when the door slid open with a hiss and in walked Destrik.

He stopped before her, both arms crossed behind his back, looking very put-together in his clear, crisp standard-issue uniform. She could barely recognize him as the man she had once pledged her heart to. He was no more a stranger to her than Admiral Karath himself.

"Get up," Destrik said, satisfied when his quick glance-over produced the desired results. Rani shot to her feet immediately, though all she wanted to do was aim a fist at Destrik's eye and make a break for it. Doing that, she knew, would cost her and the others their lives, so it was better just to put up with this charade for now.

Destrik observed her from every angle before advancing slowly upon her. Rani felt chilled to the bone as his hand played with the lace ornament on her collar. It wasn't a welcome touch, and Destrik was well aware of this fact.

"Where is Carth?" Rani blurted, scarcely able to contain her fear for the Admiral. Destrik pretended as though he hadn't heard the Admiral's name.

"Paying the price for his stubbornness. Would you care to join him?" Destrik asked.

"I'd rather die than be touched by you," Rani said with disgust. Destrik laughed the comment off.

"That can be arranged."

A sharp, quick nod sounded on the door. One of the younger regents used his passcode to open it. When Destrik turned, he saluted.

"Sir!"

"Not now, we're busy!" Destrik said.

"Sir, yes sir!" the man said, still kowtowing before his superior officer. "Admiral Karath has requested your presence on the bridge."

Destrik's iron grip was still firmly placed on Rani's arm, making the blood rush to her head. She wanted nothing more than for him to unhand her, but he didn't seem willing to do her the courtesy.

"Did he say what it was about?" Destrik queried.

"No, sir, only that it was pertaining to Admiral Carth Onasi."

"Very well. You may go."

The man saluted and left. Once they were in private again, Destrik straightened his uniform and slackened his grip, allowing her to scramble far enough away to be beyond his arm's reach.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself, Rani."

Rani clutched the bed for support, feeling her knees buckle under her own weight. She liked to think of herself as a strong woman, but at this moment, her courage had completely gone.

"You think I'm _pleased_ to find the man I love tainted by the Sith teachings?" Rani practically spat. Her lack of control was what made a smile creep onto Destrik's lips, as if he welcomed the chance to fully exploit that weakness.

"More Republic propaganda. It figures they would indoctrinate their new recruits with rubbish like that. One can only realize their real power when with the Sith. They don't govern your mind and body. They allow you to unleash yourself, and through that comes freedom."

"Or death," Rani added.

Destrik resumed his proper stance, both arms fixed behind the crook of his back, legs spread apart at an even distance.

"All life is death, Rani. But the glory that comes with being a Sith soldier--_that_ is something that transcends even this mortal coil."

"I could never be like you," Rani said with amazement. "The Sith have brainwashed you with their self-righteous propaganda. You're not the Destrik I knew. I wonder now what was the truth and what was the lie."

Destrik watched her for a long moment. The light was glinting off the individual beads sewn into the hem and bustline of her gown, giving her a luminous quality. He seemed to be transfixed by her new change of clothes. He approached her with slow, cautious steps.

"Don't speak to me of lies, Rani, when you're the one who's jumped into bed with an Admiral almost immediately following my disappearance."

She looked away as he said this very quietly into her face. She had been expecting something more—a slap or a scream, but the quiet deadliness was worse. He didn't need to scream for his words to be heard.

Rani recalled a time, not too long ago, when she had been wrapping gauze on an older woman's limb. Her words still echoed to her across the great distance in her mind. _It will be alright, dear. Do you really think Destrik would want you to live the rest of your life as if you have no reason to live?_

Tears flecked her black-rimmed lashes as she sought to bid the memory away. Destrik could sense her indecision, and decided to take full advantage of it. He took her by the arms and began undressing her, his movements swift, giving her no time to form a response.

When she finally realized what was happening, Destrik was already heaving his weight onto her. She had been too numb to realize it; things had played out in slow motion. But now she just laid back in the bed and allowed him to mount her, feeling the cold seep into her bones. There wasn't anything more he could do to her to destroy her life. He'd already done and said everything possible to bring her beautiful dreams and memories to a crashing halt.

He didn't kiss her; it wasn't about love. She couldn't force herself to look in his eyes as he moved, so she stared at a spot above his head on the ceiling through which she imagined herself escaping. Distancing herself from the situation was the only viable alternative. It was the only thing that kept her sane. If she allowed herself to lapse back into consciousness, for one minute, she'd be broken-hearted by what she saw and felt.

It was over before it began. Destrik threw the sheet over her and began dressing quickly in order to respond to Saul Karath's summons. He left the apartment without a word, putting a locking device on the door.

Rani was left trembling in the bed. She pulled the sheet up to her neck to cover up her nakedness and shame. She couldn't face the others like this...they couldn't ever know of what had happened. It was too difficult to admit she had given in to defeat.

She scooped up her clothes, retrieving each piece as fast as she could collect them before getting dressed. The next time she looked in the mirror, she was even more haggard than before. Destrik's emotional and physical abuse had wrought more than a mere headache on her.

She turned slowly and sat on the bed, waiting. Destrik would return soon, and then, she would have to find some way to fend him off before he stripped her of every last shard of dignity.


	15. Confrontation with a Sith

Back on the _Centurion's Blade_, Indy had taken over the steering. They had fared well on the trip and made it in good time. Hopefully the others weren't dead yet.

She slowly approached the monster of a ship, the_ Leviathan_. Hopefully the _Centurion's_ stealth system would work—and it appeared that it did. They had arrived at their goal unnoticed.

They all knew with a certainty that they couldn't dock in the hangar bay because then all hell would break loose, and they wanted to avoid that.

After a short discussion between the emotionally stable and alcohol free members of the crew they decided to investigate the ship closer, to see if they could find anything that might aid them in getting in unnoticed.

After circling the massive ship, Indy pointed at the viewscreen.

"Look! The fuel line! We can connect the _Centurion_ with it and then crawl in that way. No one will suspect," she said with a grin.

"Why wont people suspect that?" Igrayne questioned with an inquisitive stare at the fuel line. It might work, but her hope was crashed when Indy replied,

"'Cause its suicide, if they decide to eject some fuel, or a re-fuelling ship comes by, we're gonna be dead."

Igrayne stared at the fuel line.

"We've got no other choice," she said firmly.

"At least it's better odds than last time, Indy," Han said with a grin. "Yeah, I think I'll start reading the runes before I take the seemingly harmless artifact off the altar..." She winced at the memory and Han chuckled slightly.

"What? I was in a hurry!"

When they all returned to the main hold both Atton and Evy had come out. Atton looked quite ragged, and he seemed to be suffering from a hangover, while Evy looked none the better—just minus the hangover.

They told them the plan and then set out to do it. Han and Indy managed to connect the ship, and as they powered down the systems they exited the cockpit for the main hold and led everyone to the entrance of the fuel line.

"Make sure you all have your weapons. This is a _Sith_ warship, and I promise you, it wont be unmanned. Trust me, I know this."

The uncomfortable glance shared between Han and Indy told them that these two had obviously run into the Sith before.

Indy was the first to climb in, followed by Han, Igrayne, Bao, Evy, and Atton.

The crew's entrance onto the _Leviathan_ was relatively easy, although the fuel line was a bit cramped. Luckily, no one bothered to eject any fuel while they traveled through it, as Igrayne had feared. The crew emerged from the line ever-cautiously and came to stand in what appeared to be a relatively deserted hallway, used for maintenance and repairs. After surveying their surrounding, they concluded that there were no imminent threats in the vicinity…although a distinct stench emanated from their bodies. 

"Ugh… it smells like we just came in contact with the back side of a bantha," complained Atton.

"Nah, you always smell like that," jibed Indy, not bothering to mask her growing annoyance with the scoundrel.

Atton merely scowled at her. He was about to reply to her comment with an equally insulting remark when Igrayne spoke up, directing everyone's attention to her.

"All right, we need to figure out how we're going to do this," she started, looking meaningfully from one person to another. "The Leviathan is a large ship. It would probably be better if we split up. You know, cover more ground…"

Everyone seemed to agree with her except for Atton, who looked at her skeptically.

"Couldn't this put us at a potential disadvantage? I mean, if we get ambushed we're pretty much screwed…"

"None of us are strangers to battle," said Evy seriously, not bothering to look at Atton as she spoke. "And if things should go wrong, then it's a chance we'll have to take for the sake of our friends."

Atton didn't seem amused by her bold statement as he scowled further. 

"So it's settled, then…" stated Bao-Dur. "We split up. Igrayne and I will make an attempt to locate the prison block. Indy and Han can head over to the command deck, and Evy and Atton can locate the bridge."

"What! Oh, hell no…I am _not_ getting stuck with _her_," objected Atton, as he gestured toward Evy. He spoke about her as if she had committed a heinous crime against him, and Evy released a frustrated sigh.

"Show a little respect, Atton…" said Igrayne, with a slight edge in her voice. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"The hell if she hasn't!" he yelled.

Bao-Dur spoke briskly in order to prevent any further arguments from commencing.

"This isn't the time or place for this…the two of you eventually need to sort out your problems, but now is not the best time to be divided against each other. We must work together if we wish to survive this mission"

Atton crossed his arms defensively, alternately glaring at everyone in the crew. "Fine. I'll go with her. But I'm not going to be happy about it…"

"Good," said Igrayne. "After we find everyone, we'll regroup and get back to The Blade. If anything needs to be addressed to the group, we can use our commlinks to communicate with each other." She paused for a moment, offering the crew a slight smile, despite their dire situation. 

"May the Force be with all of you."

Han was about to open his mouth in order to make a snide remark regarding his doubts about the Force, but Indy sensed it and silenced him with an elbow to his ribs. Everyone else nodded at Igrayne meaningfully, before heading off in their assigned pairs, ready to face whatever obstacles the _Leviathan_ had in store for them…

---------------

Evy and Atton tentatively made their way down their assigned hallway in unbearable silence for several minutes. It was bad enough that they were already in danger, but Atton's foul attitude toward Evy did nothing to improve her mood. The silence was making her uneasy, and out of instinct, she opened her jacket slightly to steal a glance at the cylindrical weapon hanging at her hip. Atton noticed her quick glance to her lightsaber, and the silence was finally broken as he inquired about it.

"Thinking about getting rid of me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Maybe… if you keep up the attitude," she said gravely. For a moment, Atton thought she was serious until he noticed the wry smile that played upon her lips. He grinned slightly, and several more moments of silence passed before he spoke up again.

"So, where did you get it?"

"What?"

"The lightsaber. Where did it come from? You never answered me the other day."

Evy seemed suddenly hesitant, as her eyes focused upon the ground.

"I don't think this is a good time to have this conversation, Atton… it's a long story."

"We've got time. I mean, it's not like we're really getting anywhere in this dump, and—"

"Shhhhh!"

In one swift movement, Evy had pushed Atton up against the wall as she clamped her hand over his mouth. When she noticed his puzzled expression, she explained herself quietly.

"Someone's coming…"

Sure enough, footsteps were heard coming from the adjacent hallway, and they both listened quietly. A few tense moments passed, before they both saw a Sith guard walk in the opposite direction, apparently not aware of their presence. The sound of a door closing was distinctly heard as the footsteps slowly faded and the guard disappeared.

"We need to get in that room," said Evy, breathlessly.

"What room?" asked Atton, still a bit shaken from their close call.

"The room that he just came out of…"

"Why?"

"Because I think Carth's in there."

"But how did you—"

"No more questions. I have good hearing," said Evy briskly, as she grabbed Atton's arm and steered him in the direction of the room. Once they arrived at the outside of the steel-plated door, Atton looked at it skeptically.

"It's locked," he said, stating the obvious.

"Not for long…"

Evy produced her lightsaber form her belt as she ignited it, filling the hallway with a luminous blue glow. It have a faint humming noise, and a rush of memories flew back into her brain… but now was not the time to reflect upon the past. Acting quickly, Evy immediately thrust the blade of the weapon into a nearby control panel, causing the controls to sizzle and burn before the door opened up automatically.

"Nice," said Atton, as he eyed the weapon. "They teach you that in Jedi school?"

She ignored him, as she glanced warily into the room. "Someone will have heard that. Get in, quick!"

The two of them quickly entered the room and were both shocked and relieved to see Carth lying upon a table in Force restraints. They had apparently stumbled into some sort of torture chamber. The Admiral appeared to be unconscious, as Evy rushed over to him. She once again used her lightsaber to cut him free as she immediately began to examine him for any injuries. He was sporting several nasty gashes on various areas of his body, and his wrists and ankles were scorched from the restraints… But otherwise, he seemed to be faring fairly well, considering the circumstances. When she was satisfied that he wasn't near death, Evy spoke softly to him, lightly tapping his face in order to bring him around.

"Admiral? Carth, can you hear me? Come on, Carth… wake up…"

To her surprise, Carth's eyes slowly fluttered open, despite his injuries, and he looked up at her with glazed eyes.

"Evy? Oh Force, am I glad to see you…" he mumbled, barely audible.

"What happened, Carth?" she asked, as she tried to keep him alert. "Who did this to you?"

"Saul… Saul did this," he started, rather groggily. "He wanted information from me… but he wouldn't kill me… his mind is… far more twisted than I had remembered."

Carth slowly managed to sit up with Evy's aid, wincing slightly. His gaze suddenly fell upon Atton, who had been observing the two of them since they had entered the room. To Evy's surprise, Carth's eyes narrowed dangerously at the scoundrel, and he swiftly stood up from his position on the table. Before she could stop him, Carth closed the distance between himself and Atton with a speed and agility that she had thought was impossible, and he punched him squarely in the face.

"What the hell are you doing here!" bellowed Carth, as Atton gave a cry of pain and stumbled backwards from the force of the punch. He looked at him with a rather shocked expression as he lapped a bit of blood from his lip, while nursing his injured jaw.

"Damnit!" exclaimed Atton, "What the hell did you do that for? I just saved your life!"

"Well, I wouldn't need saving if it weren't for your betrayal!" Carth was seething with anger, and he was about to throw another punch when Evy stopped him by grabbing his arm rather forcibly.

"That's enough!" she shouted. "We need to get everyone out of here… and I can't have the two of you killing each other before it's necessary. Where's Rani?"

Carth's expression turned solemn, as he sat back down upon the table, placing his head in his hands.

"Destrik has her."

Atton immediately ceased rubbing his jaw, as he blanched visibly. 

"_Destrik!_ Did you just say _Destrik_? I don't believe it! That son-of-a—"

Carth seemed somewhat confused by Atton's reaction. "Did I miss something? Do you know him?"

Atton nodded grimly, and a dark expression passed over his features. "Oh yeah… I know him, all right? Listen, if Destrik is here, then we need to find him, pronto. This guy is bad news for anyone who gets in his way."

"As am I."

A threatening voice sounded from the other end of the room and Evy, Carth, and Atton turned to see the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway. The darkness of the room obscured his features, making it impossible for them to determine who it was.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Atton, as his hand instinctively fell to his blaster.

The man came to stand in the light of the room as his features were revealed, and a sinister grin spread across his face.

"I am Admiral Saul Karath. And I don't believe that we've been acquainted."

-------------

When Indy and Han split up from the others, they first went searching for a wardrobe. They both agreed they'd see less shooting if they had one of those uniforms on. After a whole bunch of hiding from officers and soldiers, they had managed to locate one and nicked two uniforms.

According to their name-tags, Indy was now "Tenault" and Han was "De Arc." She had even forced Han to shave so it looked more genuine. Walking out of the room as if nothing had happened, they strolled down the halls, just walking past Sith without them seeing through their disguise.

Turning a corner, they heard the sound of a angry voice. Upon further investigation, the angry voice belonged to a man—who they didn't know—and Rani. The man was clutching her wrist and dragging her along, yelling angrily at her.

He noticed them and stopped, his hand still in a death grip on Rani. Rani had just realized that the officers were the ones she thought were Indy and Han. Apparently they weren't the scoundrels they had claimed to be. Their _real_ names seemed to be Tenault and...De Arc? Somehow, she felt the names didn't fit in.

Had they betrayed the group?

"You...you traitors!" she screamed, but her voice cracked. She still hadn't recovered from all the screaming she had done in the torture chamber.

Both Han and Indy were taken aback by Rani's exclamation. What was she saying?

"You traitors!" Rani screamed again, her voice stronger, but still haggard.

Han slightly held up both of his hands in a sign of supplication, while Indy gave Rani a pleading look.

Destrik had stopped his angry tirade to watch Rani's outburst.

"You know them?" he asked, his voice hinting at surprise.

Indy watched Rani's expression, trying to judge whether or not she was going to ruin the mission.

Rani pulled her wrist out of the man's grasp and ran up to Indy and Han, stopping just inches in front of Indy's face.

"You Sith scum are all the same!" Rani yelled at Indy, her voice unnecessarily loud for her proximity to Indy.

Indy stared at Rani wide-eyed, unsure of what to do. Indy glanced over Rani's shoulder to see the man that Rani had been with. His eyes were narrowed in thought.

Rani's expression suddenly changed, and her voice dropped so low that Indy could barely hear her. "Go find Carth. He's in the torture chamber."

Indy saw what Rani was doing and followed her lead, wanting to get as much information as she could from her.

Indy put on a mean face and verbally shot back at Rani.

"You look like Republic garbage," Indy sneered, and then lowered her voice, "what about Carina and Mical?"

Tears sprung to Rani's eyes as she whispered, "They were in the torture chambers too, I don't even know where they are now, or if they are still alive."

"Even the worst of those loyal to the Republic outweigh the pile of shi—"

"Get back here!" Destrik called to her, cutting Rani's insult short.

"Look, I'll be fine for now, just go find the others."

Destrik was quickly advancing on the small group, and Han, thinking quickly, intercepted him.

"Sir, do you normally allow your prisoners to disrespect the Sith?" Han asked Destrik, trying to capture his attention.

To keep up the façade, Indy grabbed Rani by the shoulders hard. "Where will you be?"

"With him," Rani answered gravely.

Rani glanced at the man she had been with before pushing Indy against the wall, further away from the two men. Indy was startled by the other woman's strength.

"Destrik," Rani added.

Shock registered on Indy's face, and Rani grabbed her and threw her to the ground in order to hide Indy's expression from Destrik. Indy was jolted out of her initial shock, and the two women began to scuffle as realistically as they could without hurting one another too much.

Destrik soon stepped in, pulling Indy roughly off Rani, whom she'd pinned down after Rani had given her a stinging slap across the face.

"Enough! Get back to patrol, soldiers!" Destrik barked at Indy and Han before leading Rani down the hallway. Rani glanced back at them once and gave what seemed to Indy to be a very empty smile.

"That was quite a catfight there," Han joked.

"Yeah, she's stronger than she looks," Indy said, straightening her stolen uniform with one hand and rubbing her tender cheek with the other, "but not stronger than me."

Han laughed softly before asking, "What did she say?"

"We need to head to the torture chambers," Indy answered.

------------------

Mical was meditating again.

Carina was annoyed. _How can he just shut himself down like that after all of this?_

She called out to him, unable to bear the silence in the prison hold any longer.

"Mical, why do you still do that?"

He broke his meditation to answer her. "Do what?"

"Meditate, use the Force, follow Jedi teachings…"

"I may have left the Jedi, but I cannot just turn my back on the Force. It is a part of who I am," Mical answered.

"I did."

"You think you did," Mical answered, "but you will never really be able to shut yourself off from the Force."

_No more than I can really shut myself off from you_, she thought sadly.

There was a slight flicker in Mical's eyes, and Carina suspected that he had read her mind.

"Why not go back to the Jedi then?" Carina asked.

"Because I cannot bear to go back under the jurisdiction of those who asked you to take on such a mission. They could have given it to anybody, but they gave it to you, claiming that you would be able to turn your family back to the light side. Sometimes, I suspect that they gave it to you as a test."

"A test I failed," Carina replied miserably.

"I follow most of the Jedi teachings, but others I cannot understand. The Council knew that there was a possibility that your family would not turn back, that they would end up attacking you. What a position the Council put you in! Die by the hands of your own family, or kill them. How would anyone be able to attain peace after an occurrence like that?"

Carina stared at Mical. Many emotions were washing over her. She had never known Mical's feelings on the issue, she'd just assumed that he would be loyal and understanding of the Jedi Council.

"You don't have to agree with the Jedi to use the Force," Mical said softly.

"Yeah, I could be Sith," Carina scoffed.

"You have not, as of yet, turned to the dark side. You are stronger than you think you are."

Carina felt a lurch of pain in the pit of her stomach at Mical's words. 

_That isn't true, I did give in once…_

Her mind drifted away from the present as she revisited the memory of killing her family. She had thrown logic at them, pleaded, tried to play on their emotions, threatened them—everything—but she could not turn them back to the light.  
Finally, her father grew tired of her and said to her solemnly, "If you do not leave now, I will kill you."

Carina had blanched at his words, disbelieving that her father would say such a thing to her. "You don't mean that."

"Kirsta," her father had called to her sister, "teach your weak sister what it means to be Sith."

Carina had barely enough time to pull out her lightsaber to spar with her sister. Kirsta had attacked her furiously, but her fighting skills were far less than Carina's. Carina tired Kirsta out as long as she could before her mother and father jumped into the fight. One by one, Carina was forced to kill her family, or else she would be slaughtered by them. She had drawn on the Force heavily to keep her wits about her, but once the fight was over, she had broken down, kneeling over the dead bodies of her family.

As she kneeled there, sobbing, a deep red glowing lighsaber struck her from the back, and came bursting through her stomach. It was withdrawn as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You were always the weak one, sister," the voice hissed.

The pain from her grievous wound, the feelings of betrayal by her family, and the anger from the battle not yet being over, all formed a dangerous mix that pushed Carina over the edge. She healed herself quickly, her powers strengthening with her newfound resolve. She turned around and met her brother's next swing with her yellow lighsaber. The radiance from both of the lightsabers produced an eerie orange glow that bathed both of their features in a chilling light.

They fought ferociously, both consumed with hatred. It seemed as if her brother was winning, as she displayed more cuts than he did. He enacted a furious onslaught, fully desiring to lop her head cleanly from her body, but Carina caught him off balance, and deflected his blow, forcing him to hesitate. She took the opening and Force pushed him to the ground. His lightsaber flew from his hand, rapidly deactivating. Carina quickly advanced on him, pointing her lighsaber at his neck.

He was now helpless and at her mercy, but Carina could not bring herself to lower her lightsaber and imprison him, as was Jedi protocol.

"Do it. Kill me. I know you won't. You and your stupid Jedi, thinking you can save the world. You can't even kill the one person you should…me." His emerald green eyes that matched her own flashed dangerously.

He scoffed at her hesitation. "Carina you are weak, and no lightsaber or Jedi robe will ever change that."

Her brother was always the dangerously ambitious and greedy one of the family, and she knew beyond a doubt that he was the one responsible for turning the whole family to the dark side.

She plunged her lightsaber right into his chest, right where his heart should be. She wanted him to feel all the pain that he had caused her.

When he was dead, Carina felt the power of the dark side of the Force surging inside of her. The power, the wildness, the seduction of it almost entrapped her. 

Instead, she fought it, not wanting to follow in her family's footsteps and become the monsters that they had. That is why she tried to throw herself off the cliff, until Mical had stopped her. 

"Why did you never tell this to me?" Mical asked, bringing her thoughts back to the present. He had been reading her thoughts.

"I was ashamed. I gave in to the dark side. You… you would never do that, Mical."

"The darkside is something we must battle all of the time," Mical answered.

"You seem like you never have to."

He looked slightly amused. "Just today—I almost gave in."

Carina was shocked. "You did!"

"Yes," Mical's eyes became distant, "when I saw what they were doing to you, how they were torturing you, I almost gave in… I would have told them everything I knew about the Republic just to spare you that."

"What stopped you?"

"The electric shock."

Regardless of the seriousness of Mical's answer, Carina couldn't help but laugh.

Mical smiled as he too saw the humor in the statement. 

"Here, let me see what I can do for that ankle…"

---------------

Destrik took Rani to what appeared to be some sort of cargo hold. A few lockers and canisters lined the walls, but other than that, the room was empty.

"Why are we here?" Rani demanded as Destrik closed the door behind them. 

"So we won't get interrupted again," he replied, turning to face her.

Rani felt cold fear rising through her chest, she couldn't allow him to continue to torment her. Despite the situation she was in, Rani needed answers. She needed to know why the love of her life was Sith, why he was hurting her, and if he had always been a servant to the darkside.

He advanced on her, anger flashing in his reddened eyes. He grabbed her violently and pushed her against the wall, his body firmly against hers.

Instead of following her instinct, and shutting herself down again to accept whatever abuse Destrik had in mind for her, she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Why, Destrik?" she asked, her voice quiet and strangely calm.

He took a step back, thrown off guard by her sudden directness.

Rani saw his surprise and continued, "why have you done all of this?"

He looked momentarily guilty, before he seemed to make his mind up about something.

He matched her gaze, unblinking, "Everything I've done, I did for you."

Rani's heart stopped, _for me?_

"You know, I was Sith when we met. I saw how innocent you were, and I knew you would never accept me as a soldier of the Sith. I changed for you. I betrayed them, and joined the Republic, for you," Destrik pointed at her as he said it to emphasize his point.

Destrik continued, his eyes softening as he remembered more, "Right before the bombing of Telos, my superiors informed us of the Sith's plans. We were all ordered to stay on our ships, but I had to warn you. Admiral Onasi left to find his wife, and I followed him out without him knowing. I sprinted the entire way to your apartment, but right before I could get to the door your building was hit, and I was knocked out. I woke up here, in the Leviathan. Turns out as the Sith were combing the planet, someone recognized me as prior Sith."

"I found you after the explosion, I thought you were dead. I tried to wake you, you didn't respond…" Rani teared up at the memory.

"Where is your ring?" Destrik asked her.

She looked down sadly at her naked ring finger. "When I woke up on Onderon, in the medical facility, it was gone."

Destrik unzipped his jacket, and fingered the chain around his neck. He pulled the chain out from under his undershirt and dangling on the end of it was Rani's engagement ring.

Her breath caught in her throat as she viewed the small but pristine Telosian sapphire stone attached to the gleaming chrome band.

"You've kept it all this time? Where did you find it?" Rani's amazement got the best of her as she grasped it, unintentionally getting very close to Destrik.

He didn't answer her, but instead gazed at her very intently.

"Do you understand now, why I've done all I have?"

"Destrik," Rani answered, not backing away from him, "leave this place, leave the Sith, come back to the Republic."

"Nothing awaits me there," Destrik replied shaking his head, "with the Sith I have money, I have power…"

"You don't have me."

"Don't you see the Republic is losing? What do you want, to be a cantina dancer all your life? Rani, I can give us a life worth living through the Sith."

"No amount of money is worth the evil domination of the Sith! I would rather be the most destitute person on the planet and still maintain my integrity."

"Rani," Destrik said, his defenses crumbling, "it is too late for me, my fate is decided. I will not leave the Sith. Come with me. I will make you happy. I love you."

Rani wanted to cry. The Destrik she had known and loved was now standing right before her, and despite all he'd done to her, she could see why he made the choices he did. Guilt and despair ran wild through Rani, as she saw the part she played in Destrik's fall.

"I cannot, Destrik," she said, her voice low and thick with emotion, "I can't be with you if you serve evil."

Destrik's eyes hardened slightly. "Even if I were to turn back to the Republic, you are not certain that you would be with me."

Rani dropped her gaze for the first time since their conversation began. She had gotten this far with Destrik, she didn't want him to see the confusion in her eyes. Would she go back to Destrik if he turned away from the Sith? Her own indecision disturbed her.

She looked up at Destrik, and he looked quite inflamed now. Unsure of what else to do, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips to her in a kiss. He seemed surprised at first, but he soon responded to her, placing his arms around her waist and pulling her even closer to him. Her need to appeal to him increased, and she in turn, deepened the kiss, using the memories of their good times together to fuel it. They were locked like that, in an intense embrace. Rani's mind continued to work, if this final plea did not turn him, then this was her way of saying goodbye to this man she once loved.


	16. The Battle with Saul Karath

"Evy, Atton," Carth said by way of an informal greeting, "Allow me to introduce Saul Karath, my old mentor...and a _traitor_..."

The older man immediately took offense to Carth's proclamation and dodged forward, firming his cape down into place.

"But it is you who are the traitor. _Admiral _Onasi, is it now?"

Carth nodded methodically, his eyes trained on the nemesis standing before him. The others could see his hand visibly shaking as it strayed for the lone blaster that rode the utility belt on his hips.

Saul Karath had his own blaster raised in a millisecond.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Carth. Have you learned nothing in your time with me?"

"I've learned death and betrayal," the younger man snorted with derision. "Telos..."

"...Was a taint in the galaxy and needed to be cleansed," Saul finished for him.

"I've watched you slaughter people by the dozens. And my wife and son were one such casualty of your so-called 'cleansing.' How many more have suffered because of what you've done?"

"Enough," Saul said, waving a hand at Carth to silence him. "I tire of this meaningless diatribe. Why are you here?"

At Carth's silence, the older man laughed. It was then that Carth realized it wasn't a question he had posed him, but a confirmation of what he had believed all along.

"As I thought, _Carth_, once again you'd play the hero and try to rescue your friends. Even now their petty lives dangle by a thread. It is my decision to end them, if I so choose."

Carth managed to draw his blaster out, but not before two of Saul's bodyguards were able to train their own rifles on him. Saul made a motion for them to holster both of the guns.

"Not now. Admiral Onasi has earned this."

Carth stepped forward, his gun at the ready, but Atton was already itching for a fight. Neither of the bodyguards preempted his sudden strike as he swung a fist at their chins, knocking them both out in a matter of seconds.

During the interchange, Saul had swung himself aside and crept onto one of the pillars for support. Looking around, Carth couldn't find him now. His head swung about to look at Evy and Atton.

"Go, get the others! _Now_!" he said urgently. Evy and Atton obeyed the imperious command, running down the length of the bridge into the short corridor of the _Leviathan_.

Carth turned and looked all around. The bridge was eerily silent, except for the humming and beeping of all the ship's navigational devices. Apparently, all posts had been abandoned, leaving the ship on auto-pilot. He walked past rows and rows of computers until he came to the huge viewport, through which stars winked back their silver lights from a distance.

He wasn't prepared for the resounding blow that struck him at the back of his head, blurring his senses for a moment, nor was he prepared for the loss of control that came of reeling off his feet onto the ground. He turned over on his back and saw Saul's haggard face looming large over him. He could see every crease, every pain etched deep into his skin.

"I have waited a long time for this moment, Carth. What a pity it came _too soon._"

He gripped the sturdy hilt of a small vibrosword and raised it above his head as though he were going to cleave Carth down the middle. Carth rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being splintered. Once he was on his feet, he drew his blaster and started firing off misdirected charges. They hit the durasteel bulkheads and pillars; anywhere, but Saul.

His aim had never been so poor as now. Perhaps if he'd listened to half of those damn Jedi teachings that floated around his crewmates, he might have found it easier to concentrate. But now, Jedi teachings were furthest from his mind.

Saul advanced and prepared to strike again.

"You know, Carth, it was foolish of you to come back here." He wielded the vibrosword menacingly above his head, taunting him to tend further backward all the while. "The price you will pay for your foolishness..."

"I don't think so," Carth muttered under his breath, delving into his back pocket to swipe a small, blunt knife he normally carried for meat carving. The sudden move caught Saul off guard, and Carth was able to bury it to the hilt within his knee. The old man groaned and stumbled before Carth finally retrieved the blade.

"_Now_ tell me who's foolish."

Saul clutched at his wound in agony. With his one hand, he still charged the attack, steadying the vibrosword in order to keep it level with Carth's chest. Carth, however, had gained much of the upper hand. Saul swung the vibrosword and winced as it crashed into one of the many ship's computers. The computer let out an electronic hiss as sparks flew from the severed conduit. Saul tried hard to hold himself up, but his wounded leg was making it difficult to retain his balance.

Carth dove into a duck-and-dodge pattern as Saul initiated another attack, groping desperately for something to hit. Carth was always just within arm's reach, keeping a safe distance so as not to be hit.

"Tell me," Saul said with a groan, flailing about aimlessly with the vibrosword in one hand. He was losing all feeling in his hand, and already, his grip on the hilt was beginning to peel off. "What was it like to hold her in your arms and feel her die?"

This statement fueled Carth's bloodlust, and he lunged himself at Saul with renewed force. The other man seemed to feed off his anger, and even though Carth knew it was wrong, it felt liberating to finally give in to his emotions.

"Good," Saul said, realizing his situation was tenuous as Carth pinned him up against one of the pillars. "What a _Sith_ you would have made!"

"I'm not like you!" Carth said desperately, baring his teeth in a display of ferocity. "I'll never be like you!"

The engine behind him burst into a high-pitched squeal that alerted Carth to the fact that the ship's systems were malfunctioning. As if in rhythm to the failing computers, the ship itself responded by moving into a slow downward dive.

With Carth's attention momentarily distracted by the malfunction, Saul used his good leg to kick him in the chest. The force of the blow sent Carth toppling over part of the bridge onto the floor. He was pretty sure his head had hit the ground and he had heard his teeth chatter.

When he opened his eyes, Saul was standing over him, looking triumphant.

"You disappoint me. I had hoped you would be more of a challenge."

"You can't convert me," Carth said weakly, trying to drag his broken body up by the elbow. "Kill me if you want. Whatever you do, you won't have my mind. I'm not some _Sith_ recruit."

He said the word with contempt to elicit a reaction from Saul. The other admiral excelled at masking his surprise, however, and just stood there with a vacant, glassy-eyed look.

"It's a pity, Carth. I had hoped, by now, you would have seen the narrow-mindedness of those Republic fools and changed your mind. You were one of my brightest pupils. I would have continued to mentor you if only you'd given yourself over to the Sith teachings."

"I don't follow traitors," Carth replied adamantly. "So go promote your propaganda to someone else."

Saul's hand clutched desperately at his wound. Blood was seeping through his fingers, crusting on his callused skin. Despite this setback, he seemed to be functioning fairly well.

"How about to your son?"

"My son?" Carth queried, wide-eyed. "No...Dustil died. You took his life in the attacks."

Saul's smile turned bitter in an instant, as though he derived some sick pleasure from seeing the tormented look upon Carth's face.

"I'm afraid you've been misinformed, Admiral Onasi. Dustil is alive and well, and safe—for the time being."

"Dustil!" Carth cried, trembling. "No...it can't be. You're lying! Another Sith lie!"

"He now resides at the Korriban Sith Academy, as a protege of Destrik's. He was mentoring the boy shortly before he defected to the Republic—as my intelligence reports, for the woman, Rani. Soon after the bombing raid, I touched my ship down upon Telos' surface and rescued Destrik. He was a miserable creature...you should really have seen him. A broken body, parched, malnourished. With the help of some of the finest medics, I was able to get him in fine form again. I pardoned him for defecting to the Republic in our greatest hour of need...and he, in turn, took on the education of Dustil as a duty to me. It was one of the most trusted tasks I've ever given him..."

"How kind of you," Carth muttered.

"No need to worry, Admiral, your boy is in good hands."

"No, he's in Sith hands," Carth repeated, "Which means that first I'll kill you, and then Destrik, and then I'm coming for Dustil."

"You can't save everyone in this galaxy, Carth," Saul said with a spine-tingling laugh.

"Only the ones that are worth saving," Carth said meaningfully, locking eyes with the older man. In that moment, Saul's calm and composure dissolved, exposing the monster within.

"Enough! I tire of this talk. Tell me what I want to know. Tell me the base of operations for the Republic."

"Now, if I was privy to that information—which I'm not, by the way—do you really think I would tell you?" Carth replied smartly. The man raised a brow.

"Very well. Now I will do what I should have done a long time ago," he said, raising the vibrosword quickly into the air to give Carth no reaction time.

Behind them, one of the ducts split apart, blowing high-pressure air across the room in short spurts. The sudden force of the impact sent a tremble down the ship's hull, splitting apart the great pillar that stood behind them. As it fell, Carth swung out of the way to avoid being permanently flattened. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Saul had been caught in the wreckage and was desperately trying to pull his broken body out.

"Let's finish this," Carth said to himself as he advanced upon the Admiral. He was wheezing, the air beings squeezed from his lungs. As he saw Carth approach with the knife in hand, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Carth...Carth," the old man moaned.

"You stole my life, and now, _I'm going to steal yours_," Carth answered.

"Must...must tell you something. Come closer."

Wary, but transfixed by the sound of the old man's voice, Carth fell into his routine behavior of following orders from his superiors.

_Ex-superiors_, he had to remind himself.

He walked forward with tentative steps.

"That woman," Saul whispered weakly, "the one who travels with you..."

"Rani?" Carth provided him with the name.

The ship was shaking and trembling with the fury of becoming disemboweled. Carth knew he had little time if he was to make it to an escape pod...that was if they hadn't all jettisoned already.

"What about her?" Carth demanded.

"It is not simply by happenstance that she wound up in the same medical facility to which you were assigned," the man insinuated. "Nor is it happenstance that she continues to follow you and the others."

Carth's hand trembled as he pushed the knife up against Saul's throat. Saul gasped as he felt the cold sting of the metal seep into his flesh, and decided to choose his next words very carefully.

"You travel closely with her, and yet you do not know her," Saul said with the kind of cold-blooded laugh Carth would expect from a murderer.

"My relationship to her or any of my other crewmates is none of your business," Carth growled.

"Then make it your business to find out...what made her choose that medical facility...what made her seek you out. I'm sure the answer you'll find is more than amusing, even to one such as you who has a limited capacity for humor."

Saul's grin curved upward, becoming more menacing.

"Ask her what she knows about it. The answer she'll provide you with is one worth hearing."

"What do you mean?" Carth asked desperately, holding up the admiral's head to prolong his life if only for a little longer. The ship around them was falling to pieces. There must have been an impact in some other point of the ship for it to shake and tremble, which wasn't so surprising given that they had entered an asteroid field not too long ago.

Saul did not answer his question, so Carth plunged the knife into his throat so he vomited blood and bile. The substance was all over him. He slid back on the floor and was gone.

It was the second death Carth had witnessed in weeks, and he was sick of it already. He didn't have time to lament the fact that he'd plunged the knife in too soon, but he ran around trying to find some viable form of escape.

Then, he remembered the others. Perhaps they were still alive on the ship. He ran around frantically, trying to find them.

--------------

"I just don't get it, Mical," Carina said, breaking the silence as he examined her hurt ankle.

"Pardon?"

"Why are you so kind to me even though I've treated you terribly?" Carina asked quietly. "And especially after...well, what I did."

"I believe everyone can be saved," Mical said simply.

"Saved?"

"Redeemed...helped. You did what you did because it was required and asked of you to do so. It was not your choice, and you did not wish it upon your family. You did the right thing, no matter how wrong it seemed at the time," Mical said confidently.

It was obvious to Carina that he'd given the same amount of thought and consideration to her past action's as she had herself. But there was a small question still bugging her that was kept at the back of her mind.

"You think I can be redeemed, Mical?" Carina asked in a quiet voice.

Mical looked up at her with those same brilliant blue eyes and said, "In my eyes, you're already redeemed."

--------------

Indy and Han walked as authoritatively as they could through the halls, trying to look like they belonged in the ship. Indy felt very uncomfortable in her Sith uniform.

"Is there a problem?" Han asked her after watching her yank at the collar of the outfit. 

"No, I just…this uniform sucks," Indy replied with a sigh.

Han smiled mischievously. "You wanna take it off?"

Indy punched Han playfully but not lightly in the stomach.

"Don't get fresh with me," she replied with mock-seriousness.

"It's the fedora isn't it?"

"What?" Indy said, not understanding him.

"You always get cranky when you can't wear your fedora," he replied.

"Yeah…yeah, that's it," Indy replied unconvincingly.

Han looked as if he was going to respond, but the ship took a downward lurch that almost sent both of them crashing to the floor.

"Nuts!" Indy exclaimed before using her commlink to ask about the others. 

"Igrayne," Indy said into the commlink, "what was that?"

Igrayne's voice called back, "Uh, not sure, but Bao and I need your and Han's help over here by the prison hold."

"Something up?" Indy asked concerned.

"Well, I'm pretty sure someone's in there because there are a bunch of guards outside the door," Igrayne responded.

"Well, it's not Rani. I ran into her earlier, she told me to find the others." Indy paused before adding, "She's with Destrik."

There was a long pause on the other end of the commlink before Igrayne responded, "I'm sorry, I thought I just heard you say Rani's with Destrik. Isn't he dead?"

"Apparently not," Indy replied, shaking her head. This mission was just becoming weirder and weirder.

"All right, well just head over here, we need to deal with these guards if we are going to save our friends."

--------------

Evy and Atton were running down the hallways toward the prison block when the ship shook violently. She stumbled at the rocking of the ship, and Atton deftly caught her before she hit her head on the durasteel floor. As he caught her, she unintentionally wrapped her arms around his neck for support. They stayed like that for a few moments, Atton bent gently over her, cradling her in his arms. Evy was struck by his gentleness, something that she had rarely seen in the scoundrel.

The pounding of footsteps interrupted the tender moment, and Evy was on her feet in a flash, her lightsaber out but not yet activated. Atton, surprised by her quickness, stared at her and noticed her fighting stance. As the footsteps rounded the nearest corner, they were faced with four Sith soldiers.

As soon as the realization that fighting was about to occur in the small space of the hallway dawned on her, Evy activated her lightsaber, the blue glow causing her eyes to look almost luminous. Atton followed her lead and pulled out dual heavy blasters. The two nearest soldiers had vibroblades, and Evy dashed gracefully to meet their onslaught.

Atton ignored the two Sith that Evy was currently fighting, and trained his aim on the other two, who were aiming their own blasters at Evy. He felt betrayed by her, yes, but the sight of her in danger angered him, only fueling his accuracy as he blasted one right in the center of the forehead, and the other soldier was shot directly in the center of his chest. Atton was immensely pleased with his quick disposal of the soldiers, until he looked to Evy.

The two Sith she had been fighting were both dead on the floor. Her lightsaber was still activated, and it was poised in front of her, parallel to her body. Her eyes were closed, and he would have thought that she was meditating if it were not for the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was clutching the lightsaber tightly with both hands as if it were the most precious thing in the galaxy to her. Atton was silent, not wanting to interrupt, and he checked her over visually to make sure she was uninjured.

"Evy, Atton, where are you?" Igrayne's voice called through the commlink.

"Uh, we found Carth, he's currently fighting Saul Karath as we speak. And uh, we were just attacked by some Sith, but we are okay," Atton answered, giving Evy time to compose herself.

"Are you near the prison hold?" she asked, urgency in her voice.

"Almost."

"Okay, well head on over, there are some guards here we need help taking out before we can get to Mical and Carina."

"We'll be right over," Evy answered back, now fully recovered.

---------------

Igrayne and Bao-Dur had been hiding in a small storage room right down the hall and around the corner from the prison hold as they surveyed the scene and waited for the others to arrive. They both had been silent for a while, only speaking to call the others on the commlinks. They didn't want to attract the attention of the soldiers that guarded the entrance to the prison hold. Since Rani and Carth were accounted for, Igrayne was pretty sure that Carina and Mical were the ones locked in there. The fact that they were so heavily guarded gave her hope that her friends were still alive and thriving.

However, the shakes and shudders of the _Leviathan_ scared her.

"Bao?"

"Yes, General?"

"How much time do we have before this ship goes down?" Igrayne asked, already pretty sure that she would not like his answer.

He looked at her, perhaps judging if he should tell her the truth or not. "Not enough."

She dropped his gaze and tightened her grip on her lightsaber. If this was the end, then at least she died protecting her friends, she thought to herself.

Just when she started seriously considering taking on the guards with just her and Bao-Dur, Evy, Atton, Indy, and Han all showed up at the same time.

"Good timing," Bao-Dur said to them by way of greeting.

"Okay, let's get a move on," Igrayne said impatiently, "there are eight of them, so we can definitely take them out quickly. I didn't get a chance to get close enough to see what weapons they wield, but they look like average Sith soldiers."

"Oh yeah, no problem then," Indy replied confidently.

"Okay, let's go," Evy said, her determination apparent on her face.

All of them lined up in the hallway, preparing to start their attack. Blasters were cocked and ready, and lightsabers pulled out and activated, the thrumming of the energy comforting to Igrayne's ears. When Igrayne activated her own lightsaber last, she gasped at the change of its color. It looked black at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she noticed it was a very deep purple. It seemed to glow more intensely than Bao's or Evy's.

_But I only added that crystal that Indy gave me, that wouldn't change the color, would it?_

Bao had also noticed the change in her lightsaber, but said nothing for the time being. They didn't have the luxury of time.

Bao-Dur was in the lead, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure everyone was prepared. Before turning back, he nodded at Igrayne, who gave a terse smile and nodded back. 

"Let's go," his soft voice called out, and they all sprinted down the hall to meet the guards in battle. 

-------------

Carina jerked her head around from Mical's gaze as she heard sounds of battle from outside the room.

She looked excitedly at Mical. "What's going on?"

"Don't you feel it?" he asked her, inviting her to tap into her unused Force powers.

It was hard for Carina at first, she was so used to ignoring the ebbs and peaks of the Force as it swirled around her. She closed her eyes tightly…I can't believe I'm doing this again. She focused the Force as relentlessly as she could, gathering the energy of it to aid her inner sight. 

Slowly, steadily, a picture formed in her mind. Igrayne and Bao fought methodically side by side, feeding off one another's movements. Carina was surprised to see them both wielding lightsabers and donning Jedi robes. Indy and Han stood back slightly from the thick of battle, wearing what looked like Sith soldier uniforms, but they were accurately shooting charges at the guards. Atton was using two blasters and carefully shooting any soldier that advanced on Evy and her flashing blue lightsaber as she dueled with a soldier with dual vibroswords.

Carina became so excited, she broke her concentration.

"Mical! They've come! Oh Force, they are really here!"

Mical smiled widely at Carina's genuine display of enthusiasm. It was so nice to see her happy, even if it was only momentary.

They both stood up in their cages, anxious to be released from their captivity.

Soon, a blue lightsaber came bursting through the door, and it slid open to let in her friends.

Carina couldn't help squealing with delight as she finally saw the faces of her friends.

Bao-Dur rushed to deactivate the cages as Evy shifted through the contents of the lone locker in the room to find Mical and Carina's clothes.

Carina couldn't stop talking, "You guys are here! Did you know we got tortured? But Mical healed me. Where are Rani and Carth? Why do Igrayne and Bao-Dur look like Jedi? Why is Atton still with you all? Where is that bitch, Rayne?"

Indy rapidly released their bonds, and both Carina and Mical bounded over to the lockers to dress.

As they were dressing, Igrayne quickly went over everything that had happened since their imprisonment, and answered as many as Carina's questions as she could.

"Anyone know where we can find Carth and Rani?" Bao-Dur asked the group.

"Last time I saw Carth, he was on the bridge," Evy answered, "and something tells me, wherever Carth is, we'll find Destrik and Rani."

The others nodded their heads in agreement as they prepared to head off.

Igrayne turned to Carina, "here, I brought this for you, seems you left it on the ship," she said smiling and handing Carina her lightsaber.

"Thanks," was all Carina could respond with as she held the cold metal of the deactivated lightsaber.

Carina felt the comforting weight in her hands and decided that no matter what her fears, she would wield her lightsaber today to protect her new family, her friends.


	17. Escape from the Leviathan

Rani and Destrik's kiss was interrupted by the short, sudden dive the ship took.

"Force!" Destrik cursed as he struggled to keep his balance while also keeping Rani on her feet.

He grabbed Rani by the hand, not forcefully, but firmly, and set off down the hallways of the ship.

As they scurried through the ship, the occurances of the past day were whirling around in Rani's mind. Carth being tortured, Destrik strangling her, Destrik punching Carth, Carth's eyes as she was dragged away from the torture chamber, Destrik forcing himself on her, her kiss with Destrik…

One thing in particular stood out in her mind: Destrik's words. _Even if I were to turn back to the Republic, you are not certain that you would be with me._

Rani's heart broke thinking about his observation, but it was true. She kept telling herself that if Destrik were to renounce his ties to the Sith, she would take him back. He was the man she had loved, they were to be married, all those years, all those moments. But even as she tried to convince herself, she knew in her heart that Destrik was no longer part of her dreams. When she closed her eyes and thought about love, the only face she saw was Carth's.

Suddenly, Destrik skidded to a stop, and Rani bumped into the back of him. His grip on her hand tightened, and she looked up to see Carth standing facing them in the hallway up ahead. Carth had seen them too, and he held in a defensive stance. Without even thinking about it, Rani jerked her hand out of Destrik's grasp and started to run towards Carth.

_He's alive, he's alive, he's alive!_

She was halfway to Carth, he had not moved from his position, and through the tears streaming down her face, she saw his eyes, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Carth's eyes were not happy or friendly. They looked dark and suspicious, and Rani couldn't help feel a stab of pain in her heart as his accusatory glare registered in her mind. 

Destrik took advantage of Rani's hesitation and quickly caught up to Rani, spinning her around and taking her in his arms. He dipped her back slightly and kissed her hard.

Rani put her hand on Destrik's shoulder for support. The kiss had caught her offguard, but Destrik gave her little leeway to try and squirm out from under him. Instead, she stood rigidly in the embrace, feeling Destrik's muscles tense under her hand. She was almost tempted to give herself over completely to the kiss, then realized where she was and just what she was doing.

Destrik was the first to break the kiss. He had one arm snugly around her waist as he looked up with a crooked grin to the admiral. Carth was not amused. Rani could tell as much from the features: the familiar pull of the mouth when he found something disgusting, the darkening of the eyes, the wrinkled nose. All the signs were there.

The ship around them was deteriorating, but neither man moved. Rani wasn't sure what to do, so she stood stock still.

"Stay right where you are," Carth warned him, slowly advancing with his twin vibroblades drawn. With his fancy handiwork, he swung the double blades around in an arc. He was fixing for a fight, and Destrik was going to give him just that.

"Now, Admiral," Destrik said jovially, his hand still firmly planted on Rani's arm, "Is that really any way to address Lord Malak's new aide?"

He had digested the news of Saul's death rather well, Rani thought. He must have assumed that because Carth was standing there alone, his old mentor was dead. He was as apathetic toward that as he had been when he'd forced himself on her. Still the same hollow of a man who had once been human.

"Sith titles mean nothing to me," Carth spat, his voice trembling with the weight of his words, "But _this_ does..."

He prepared to lunge at Destrik, but Rani cried out in horror, momentarily stalling him. Carth peered at her quizzically, not understanding why she would choose now to interfere.

"Stay out of this, Rani. This is between _me_ and _Destrik_," Carth rasped in his husky voice. Rani fought back the urge to cry, beg, and plead with Carth to cease what he was doing. He was too far gone to even hear her, and she had, in part, contributed to that.

"What business would I have with you?" Destrik asked, eyeing him appraisingly. "Some forgotten old has-been war hero of the Republic? You mean _nothing_ to me."

Carth twirled his blades dangerously closer, as he edged his way toward Destrik and Rani, taking care to keep a safe distance.

"Saul Karath...he told me it was _you_ who took my son Dustil as your pupil. That you imparted Sith teachings on his mind."

The corners of Destrik's mouth curled slightly upward with delight.

"The admiral told you that, did he? Very well. _Yes_. I have no wish to deny it."

"Why?" Carth said, the cracking of his voice indicating to Rani that he was, by all accounts, a broken and lonely man, out for vengeance.

"Dustil showed certain...aptitudes...for the teachings while he was a student at the Korriban Sith Academy," Destrik explained very calmly. "Even Saul Karath, limited as his capacity was for channeling the Force, was able to recognize that. He gave me Dustil as his charge."

"And you brainwashed him!" Carth accused, his voice becoming shrill from the amount of screaming he was doing. Destrik, on the other hand, remained completely unperturbed, as though nothing in the world could dispel the aura of calm lingering over him.

"Says you." Destrik paused, his eyes aflame. "I saved him. That boy had _nothing_ before me."

"No, no that's not true," Carth stuttered. "He had me...and he had his mother..."

"The one who died?" Destrik inquired.

Carth visibly restrained himself from lunging full force at Destrik to kill him on the spot. Destrik could tell how much he was affecting him, and he savored every minute of it.

"Speak one word of her again and I'll kill you, Destrik. I _swear_!"

"Don't worry. I didn't come here to talk about your dead wife. Nor did you."

Destrik had his blaster out in a minute, and he released Rani in time to shoot off a few rounds at Carth, who expertly ducked and dodged each one he had aimed at him. Carth even used the blade to deflect the bolt so that it went whizzing past them and landed in the durasteel bulkheads. Rani clung to the pillar for support, trying to stay out of the line of fire.

Destrik's weapon had discharged, so he flung it aside and withdrew a biting-yellow lightsaber. When he activated the blade, it sprung to life like the twin suns of Tatooine. He swung it around a few times, signaling to Carth that he was prepared.

"Stop!" Rani cried as Carth moved forward, both vibroblades crossed in front of him. Neither man listened as Destrik, cupping the saber in the palm of his hand, swung the blade around to connect with the wall. A pillar toppled out of place and shattered in pieces across the floor. Not that it mattered much; the rest of the ship was beginning to deteriorate, anyhow.

"You and Saul both destroyed my life. First Morgana...now Dustil," Carth said, adding, "I thought he was dead! Though I don't know which would have been worse."

Destrik's hunched-over body posture was defending him from a direct attack from Carth. The Admiral was trying to size him up in the easiest way possible while talking to him...striking from the flanks seemed to be the key.

"Dustil's perfectly happy where he is," Destrik replied, "With a new family that _loves _him."

Carth circled him slowly, training his dual blades in Destrik's direction.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Love doesn't exist in a heart like yours."

Destrik's laughter was partially distorted by the humming of his lightsaber as he swung it from hand to hand, assuming a more comfortable pose.

"This from the man who is so distraught over his dead wife that he can't even see the _jewel_ in front of him."

He indicated Rani with a nod of the head. His gaze lingered on her a little longer than she would have liked it to. She felt uncomfortable that the attention was directed toward her. It was unnerving.

"...Or perhaps I'm mistaken," Destrik quickly added, "You and her seem to be intimately acquainted. Figuratively speaking, of course."

Carth's lip curled into a sneer at the way Destrik was affronting him so heavily. He wanted to jump over there and wring his neck until he turned blue in the face, but his pride forebade him from doing this.

"Enough of that," Carth replied, "What of my son?"

Destrik's shoulders slagged in response to the question. That was Carth's queue.

"Don't worry. Every painful memory that ever existed in Dustil's mind was erased, and in its place, a newer, fresher one was placed. The veil is finally being lifted from his eyes."

Carth initiated the attack after closing the distance between them in one running jump. He had landed at the feet of Destrik, swinging both blades furiously at the Sith, who seemed to effortlessly dodge every one of the Admiral's misguided efforts.

His luck didn't hold out for long, however. Carth used the hilt of his vibroblade to knock Destrik upside the head. The wind was temporarily knocked out of him, and he fell to the ground. Carth hovered mere inches above him, glaring down into the bleary-eyed Sith.

"Not so tough are you now? Now that I'm not in Force bonds," Carth growled.

"Don't count your blessings just yet, Republic scum!" Destrik said, swinging out one leg behind Carth's feet. It did just the trick. Carth was reverted to a position where he was laying on his back, giving Destrik the opportunity to slide atop him and point the lightsaber square at his throat.

Carth could feel his voice go even as his lips moved to form words.

"Speak carefully. The words you choose may be your last," Destrik warned him, a wild enthusiasm showing in his eyes. He was hungering for the kill, when all of a sudden...

"No, Destrik!"

Rani had run in between him and Carth. The frustrated Destrik was trying to shake her off, but to no avail.

"Stay out of this!" he growled at her. She wrapped both arms around his chest, trying to tug all of his weight off the other man. She simply wasn't strong enough, and he wouldn't budge to any amount of pulling or pushing. She pounded her balled up fists against his back.

"I said stop it!" she cried, desperate to be heard.

"Get out!" Destrik said, his hand accidentally knocking her against the cheek as he turned around. Rani felt stinging tears spring to her eyes as she rolled away on the ground. Then, she was aware of very little...

Destrik, satisfied for the time being that Rani would not further interrupt his enjoyment of this moment, turned back to Carth and poised the blade at his throat.

"Say your prayers, _Admiral_, I'm sending you to meet with your wife!"

"Stop!" a frenzied voice called from the corridor as eight figures broke onto the Bridge.

"Oh, what now?" Destrik lamented, his attention momentarily nabbed by the timely intrusion. He grudgingly got off Carth and deactivated his lightsaber. There were too many to simply pick them off one by one. He would need to formulate a plan of escape, if anything.

His eyes darted to the wounded Rani, who lay on the floor at an arm's length away. He felt suddenly guilt-ridden for seeing her in such a state. He didn't know why, but the feeling of emotion angered him. He wasn't supposed to get like this...all mopey over a woman. Saul had taught him to be cool, calculated, and measured in everything that he did. That included the use of physical force on others, whenever the need should arise...and Rani had been in the way. She would and could have caused complications, possibly becoming the instrument that led to his own demise...

And now Carth was leaning over her, checking for life signs, heedless of the fact that Destrik held all the power now. He seemed to have a genuine affection for her...and he could offer her well beyond what Destrik ever aspired to...

He was sorry for that, but he didn't have much time to think it over further. Eight very angry-looking faces hovered closer, but one more so than the others. Destrik cocked an eyebrow at the familiar face that looked about ready to tear him limb from limb.

"Atton Rand," he said by way of introduction, "You have a habit of turning up where you're least expected...or _wanted_."

"Yeah, well, consider yourself lucky I didn't just find you sooner, you traitor," Atton shot back, one hand on his holster. Destrik allowed his gaze to rest on the cruddy-looking standard-issue Republic blaster.

_Republic?_ Last he had heard, Atton was still an elite Sith assassin.

"What are you going to do, shoot me?" Destrik challenged. "You couldn't, even if you wanted to. You remember the code..."

"I say to hell with the code! When one Sith backstabs another, it warrants a whole lot of firepower!"

Atton had his blaster drawn and aimed in a fraction of a second. Destrik shook his head, making a clucking noise in the pit of his throat.

"Come now, Atton. We fight with these. Or have you forgotten? I seem to recall you keeping score of a whole collection of these magnificent weapons."

With one gloved hand he turned over the lightsaber to study its blade, inch by inch.

"I suppose we all did a little forgetting since then."

Atton blushed at the statement and cocked back the blaster's hammer. Evy tugged on his sleeve, but not enough to mess up his shot.

"Atton, don't. He's baiting you. He wants you to fight him."

"Might as well give him what he wants!" Atton shot back.

"No, don't do this! It's a mistake," Evy was saying.

Atton preempted Destrik's first strike by ducking out of the way. He had to keep a safe distance in order to fire off shots. The next blow wasn't quite as lucky. Destrik had him wedged between the lightsaber blade and a wall, and Atton scrambled uncomfortably up against it.

Destrik dodged the blade into the other man's leg, eliciting a sharp howl from Atton. He was bent double, both hands on each kneecap, a look of surprise plastered on his face as he was racked with sobs of pain. Tears squeezed themselves from Atton's eyes, but he bit back the pain to the best of his ability, biting down on his tongue as he began hyperventilating. He wouldn't let a single sound come out of his mouth and give Destrik the satisfaction of knowing he'd struck a crippling blow. Atton was dizzy and he felt a strangely giddy sensation.

"Tell me, Atton," Destrik whispered, his mouth close to the trembling rogue's ear, "How does it feel to now have been bested twice by me?"

Attons hand rested on Destrik's shoulder for support. He was breathing heavily, but he tried not to let it impede his speech.

"You...wanna...know the truth?" Atton whispered. Destrik smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

Atton used his body's quivering to propel the forward momentum of his hand straight into Destrik's face. He had never derived such a sense of pleasure from punching anybody so much as now, and Destrik seemed equally surprised that he had both the strength and the gall to do that. Destrik's lightsaber fell free of his grasp. Atton kicked the displaced saber all the way across the room.

Now he had him at the ultimate disadvantage.

While Destrik was otherwise preoccupied, Atton hobbled away, his thoughts still centered on his paralyzed leg.

"Atton, here!" Evy screamed, garnering his attention by tossing to him a small, cylindrical object. Atton unfolded his palm to look down at her prized lightsaber, an object that was never very far from her side on each campaign on which they'd gone. He'd thought to question her many times why she carried the thing if she didn't insist on using it all the time...well, whatever it was, Jedi or ex-Jedi, he was certainly glad now was one of those times.

He didn't have time to bark out a 'thank you,' as he caught the hilt of the lightsaber and activated the elegant blade. It was almost weightless in his hand, allowing for maximum speed and agility. He tried a couple of practice blows in the air to get used to the feel of the saber. Every one was different. This he had known from holding many different ones in his hands at many different times.

Evy watched the palm of Atton's hand curl around the lightsaber she had just thrown him, and for a moment, Atton faded away and was replaced with Jeran. She could see his fervor, his valor, his absolute unwillingness to just sit back and take whatever it was Destrik was planning to deal him. She could feel the way he looked at her—was looking at her—and suddenly reality took hold of her. She had to continually remind herself that Atton was not a supplement for Jeran, no matter how much he resembled the man. It wasn't right of her to give over to her feelings if it all came to some useless end. Replacing her dead lover was not what she had intended. Atton deserved better. She deserved better.

Destrik, recovered from the punch, nursed his chin with one hand as he advanced slowly on the group of onlookers. The others just stood watching, too stunned to say anything. They were all fearing for Atton's life. Throwing himself right into the middle of the fray was perhaps the most foolhardy thing he had done thus far...and Atton had done plenty of foolhardy things already.

Destrik's hand groped for a lightsaber that wasn't there. In its place was air, which he circled his fingers about several times in vain. Igrayne, who stood nearest him, screamed as he grabbed her by the shoulder and punched his hand into her robes. For a moment, it looked as though he were assaulting her. Bao-Dur even stepped forward to prevent the attack. But when Destrik's search produced the desired results, everyone halted.

Igrayne's purple lightsaber, fitted with the new crystal Indy had gifted her, sprung to life when Destrik's thumb flipped over the button. He turned and ran at Atton, releasing a loud warcry. Atton raised up his own saber in a defensive stance, then began fighting back.

As the fight progressed, the others realized that something was terribly wrong with Igrayne's saber. The purple glow seemed to be feeding off Destrik's energy, almost as though it were absorbing all his misspent emotion. Their worst fears were confirmed when Destrik renewed his attack with increased vigor. The haze that the blade emitted grew with each passing moment, feeding off the dark side in its bearer. Destrik's eyes bulged with the force that flowed through him.

"It's...so powerful," he said, pausing momentarily to grip the hilt until his knuckles colored white. Even Atton had paused a moment to observe Destrik warily.

"I can _feel_ it," Destrik said with hunger, closing his eyelids as he absorbed the energy the blade fed into his body. He was visibly shaking. The stress of it might kill him.

Destrik's eyes, once bleary, refocused on Atton. The scoundrel could read the malicious intent in his eyes as he advanced upon him with bold, guided steps. He raised the lightsaber up and let it fly—through air, flesh, and bone.

Atton fell back from the impact of the blow. Robbed of breath, he slumped down into a heap on the floor. Evy screamed and jumped forward to Atton's side, ready to fight with her fists if need be, but it was too late.

Destrik was already running in the direction of the ship's corridor. Lights were winking out behind him, one-by-one, and the fizzing of the electrical circuits that had malfunctioned could still be heard and seen.

Evy was prepared to run after him, when Carth interfered, one arm across her chest, barring her from taking a single step further.

"No, let him go."

Consternation played on her features. She looked almost as angry as Destrik had. She knew her anger could be dangerous if not regulated, so she took in a sharp breath and tried to recall the words Jeran taught her when she felt herself losing control...they were so hard to remember now, at the moment when she needed them most...

Evy knelt at Atton's side, her hands skimming over the wound in his leg. Mical immediately rushed forward, pushing through the crowd of others with polite apologizes.

"Excuse me, please. I'm a medic."

He examined Atton for a long while before making his diagnosis. Evy watched out of the viewport as an escape pod jettisoned, its orange-yellow flames shrinking into a single miniscule dot in the sky.

"I could have...I had him in my sights!" Evy stammered, feeling her heart begin to pound in her chest.

"Talk of revenge is somewhat premature," Carina reminded her firmly, trying to talk some sense into her, "We need to get out of here and _fast!_ Before this whole place blows!"

"She's right," Carth said in a hurried tone. Indy, Han, call up the _Centurion_, get her ready for a transfer. The others...get the passengers to the ship. Quickly!"

"I'm afraid he's in no condition to be moved," Mical said slightly, his voice timid as he finished his medical evaluation of Atton. He hadn't even bothered to look at Rani because he figured it was merely a bad bruise.

"What do you mean he can't be moved?" Han asked.

"His leg...he may lose it if it isn't operated on promptly and with as much expediency as possible. However, to move him in this critical stage could prove fatal."

Evy's eyes widened in shock. Here Mical was, lecturing to her on fatalities when the ship was disintegrating all around them.

"This isn't the time or place to talk about this—"

"Atton may not make it to the ship in time for us to discuss it there, _sir_," Mical said, his voice resounding with a little bit of irritation at the condescending way in which Carth spoke to him. He had just as much of a rank in the fleet as did Carth, though he wasn't quite as well-known or loved.

"It's our only chance. We can leave him here to die, or take him off minus a leg! Your call," Carth replied.

"Very well," Mical said solemnly, "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Within a matter of minutes, Han and Indy opened the transfer hatchway between the _Leviathan_ and _Centurion's Blade_. Carth Bao, and Mical worked to carry Atton's weight between them, trying not to move him too much. The ship's blasts were causing them to become unbalanced, however, so the task was proving considerably more difficult.

"Hurry!" Igrayne urged, her voice blundered by the sound of falling beams. "We don't have much time!"

Her stolen lightsaber forgotten, Igrayne ran ahead to clear a place for their wounded in the main hold. Though Indy had loudly objected to it, citing their medical lab as a grade-A place for them to store wounded passengers, Igrayne ignored them and ushered on the others with an authoritative command in her voice. Bao-Dur watched her reverently dole out orders, put in a position of power due to the sudden shocking circumstances.

"We're all sealed in and ready to go?" Indy queried.

"Yes!" Igrayne said desperately, as the hatchway hissed into place.

"Let's blow this joint," Han murmured from his spot in the co-pilot's seat.

The_ Centurion_ took off into the sky as the _Leviathan_ crumbled in one last blast, engulfed by a torrent of fire and fury. Igrayne watched in amazement through the viewport as the last of Saul Karath's ship was wiped from the face of the galaxy.

_So many deaths...so much destruction. Will it never end?_

Meanwhile, behind her, the other passengers weren't faring so well. Bao, Carth, and Mical helped carry Atton into the medlab to prepare for the surgery that would tell the tale of whether he kept his leg or not.

In the medlab, utter chaos ensued as Mical called out orders to his companions.

"Get him onto the bed and be careful with him! We can't risk injuring him further…"

Carth and Bao-Dur managed to lower Atton's unconscious form onto the cot as gently as possible while Mical frantically began to gather various pieces of medical equipment. Evy entered the room a split second after the men as she busied herself in aiding Mical in preparation for the surgery. Her mind was racing furiously as she fought back tears, but she forced herself to stay focused. She had to stay strong…if not for herself, then certainly for Atton. Now was not the time to let her emotions get the best of her.

As Evy worked on hooking Atton up to several monitors, she observed Mical for a moment and the doctor seemed to be frustrated. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair in frustration as he desperately continued to search for any usable medical equipment. Compared to more advanced medical facilities, the medlab of the Blade was relatively primitive. The surgery would be long and difficult, but Atton's life was depending upon him. Somehow, he would just have to make due…

"Carth," said Mical, addressing the admiral, "can you please go check the cargo hold for anesthetic? I can't seem to find any…"

"Sure thing," said Carth dutifully. Despite his own injuries and his earlier anger towards Atton, he swiftly made his way out of the room and towards the cargo hold.

"And Evy," continued Mical, as she focused her gaze upon him. "Give him some pain-reliever. Force knows he's going to need it…"

"Got it," she nodded.

Once Mical finished gathering the necessary medical equipment, he situated himself near the edge of Atton's bed, producing a pair of scissors. Evy watched intently as he carefully began to cut away his pant leg in order to have complete access to the injury. Atton stirred slightly, giving a moan, but Mical continued his task. As the wound was revealed, Evy couldn't help but wince at the sight of it. The lightsaber's blade had caused extensive damage, apparently singing through flesh, muscle, and bone. She couldn't fathom the pain that Atton must be in…

As if on cue, Atton suddenly became more lucid as his eyes fluttered slightly. He stared at the ceiling for several moments before the unbearable pain came rushing back to him, and he groaned miserably. A look of horror was upon Evy's face as her attention became focused upon Atton.

"Oh no…he's waking up," she said gravely. "What should we do?"

"Before we do anything, I need to clean the wound, with or without anesthetic…"stated Mical grimly. He pulled on a pair of medical gloves as he held some antiseptic. "This isn't standard procedure, but the area needs to be sterile before we can operate, and I'm afraid this is all that we have at the moment…"

She was about to object, but Evy trusted that Mical knew what he was doing. The doctor would never cause unnecessary pain upon anyone. As Mical prepared the antiseptic, Evy's bedside manner immediately kicked in as she grasped Atton's hand, speaking to him softly.

"Atton?"

Atton's head shifted slightly as he turned to look up at her. His normally vibrant eyes were glazed over in pain and Evy felt a lump beginning to form in her throat.

"Hurts…" he rasped, his voice hardly a whisper. "Help me…"

Evy gave his hand an affectionate squeeze as she managed a sympathetic smile.

"I know, Atton…I know it hurts. And we're trying our best to help you. But you need to stay with me, okay? You've got to stay strong… we'll get you through this."

Atton nodded numbly before his eyes closed again, and Evy looked at Mical sincerely, indicating that he could continue cleaning the wound. The antiseptic had scarcely touched Atton's skin when the scoundrel gave an anguished cry of pain that echoed throughout the entire room. Mical frowned deeply and he stopped cleaning the wound momentarily to look at Bao-Dur, who had been silently observing the scene before him.

"Bao-Dur, can you hold him down, please? We need to keep him steady…"

Nodding obediently, the Zabrak approached the bed and gently restrained Atton, rendering him fairly immobile. Mical continued to clean the wound as Atton squirmed helplessly on the cot, howling in pain. Apparently, the analgesic wasn't working. The scoundrel's suffering was almost too much for her to bear, but Evy tried her best to offer comfort as she continued to speak to him. After several more agonizing moments, Mical ceased, and the wound was clean. Atton's convulsions lessened somewhat as his body relaxed, and his agonized yelling was reduced to a whimper.

"You're all right…" soothed Evy as she held Atton's hand tightly. "You're doing fine…shhhh…just relax…"

At that moment, Carth reentered the room with a small vial in his hands.

"I found the anesthetic," he said, slightly out of breath from his sprint from one end of the ship to the other. "I looked through every single box. You guys owe me one."

Evy looked immensely relieved as Carth handed the vial to Mical.

"Thank the Force," she said breathlessly. "Not a moment too soon."

Mical quickly filled a syringe full of anesthetic and injected it into Atton as Evy resumed speaking to him. The operation would be risky and she needed to let him know that she was there for him, regardless of the possible outcome.

"We're going to put you to sleep now," she explained to Atton, although she suspected that he was no longer aware of what was going on. "Mical is going to operate on your leg, but you're going to be fine. And I'm going to be right here when you wake up…"

Despite his pain, Atton gave a wan smile as Evy grasped his hand once again, planting a gentle kiss upon it. He tried desperately to focus on her face, to stay awake and look at her forever, but his vision was blurry and the drug was quickly taking its effect. She gave his hand one last squeeze before Atton's eyes closed tightly in sleep, as the anesthetic finally offered him some relief.

Meanwhile, Mical prepared several sharp-looking instruments, looking gravely at Bao-Dur and Carth. 

"The two of you should leave. This isn't going to be pleasant and I'd rather not have an audience."

The two men nodded, and Bao-Dur spoke softly.

"If you need anything, let us know. We're more than willing to help."

"I know," said Mical. "Thank you."

Bao-Dur and Carth left the room, leaving Atton's fate in Mical's hands. Evy stayed for the majority of the delicate procedure, aiding Mical as much as her training allowed, but half-way through the operation, she found that couldn't take any more. Too much of Atton's blood had been spilled and it was making her nauseous. Normally, such an operation would have little effect upon her, but she suddenly felt suffocated and she needed to get away. Mical claimed that he could finish by himself, and he allowed the nurse to leave the room in order to regain her composure. Evy collapsed just outside of the medlab door as she placed her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. Her behavior was uncharacteristic and it made her feel angered, frightened, and confused all at once. In all her years of nursing, she couldn't remember herself experiencing such a complete lack of self control. 

_Nobody should have this effect upon me…_ she thought bitterly to herself. _No one. I must be losing my mind. What makes him so special?_

She stayed in this condition for what seemed like hours, and at last, Mical emerged from the medlab, looking haggard and exhausted.

"Well," she said hopefully, as she finally lifted herself from the floor. "How is he?"

"Atton is stable at the moment and he's doing relatively well. I managed to repair his leg to the best of my ability," he paused for a moment as his expression darkened. "But he still has a long recovery ahead of him. I fear that the next several hours will not be kind to him. I must retire for the moment, but I trust that you can watch over him for the time being until he awakens."

She gave a slight nod before allowing Mical to return to the rest of the crew and give them an update. As directed, Evy quietly reentered the medlab as she resumed her place on the edge of Atton's bed. His complexion had become strikingly pale, but he seemed to be resting comfortably. She observed him silently for several minutes, listening to his shallow breathing and the steady beeping of monitors before she noticed that he was beginning to shiver. Atton's body was undoubtedly reacting to the severe trauma that was inflicted upon him and the light sheet that covered him was obviously not helping.

For a moment, Evy considered fetching another blanket from one of the dormitories, but she didn't want to leave him. She bit her lip in thought before making her bold decision. Evy carefully lifted Atton's covers as she eased herself onto the bed beside him, crawling under the blanket. She pressed her body intimately close to Atton's in the hopes that her own body heat would warm him up and ease his incessant shivering. A few minutes passed as she laid silently next to him and to her delight, his shivering actually lessened. A slight smile played upon her lips as Evy closed her eyes, draping her arm over Atton's chest. She gently laid her head upon his shoulder, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart before she allowed herself to drift into a peaceful slumber, finally free of the troubles of her mind.


	18. Common Ground

The ship was eerily quiet. With Atton's surgery over, but his future condition still yet to be decided, the mood of the ship was solemn.

Indy piloted the _Centurion's Blade_, with Han assisting in the copilot's seat. They weren't quite as jarred by all the events that happened on the _Leviathan_, but the somber mood of the rest of the crew affected them.

"So, where to now?" Han asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"I'm not sure," Indy replied frowning. She did not like the idea of flying around aimlessly in space, but she didn't feel it was appropriate yet to question anyone.

Han, sensing that Indy didn't feel like talking right then, dropped his attempts at conversation. They both sat in comfortable silence, glad of the company of the other, as they gazed out on the starry expanse of space.

-------------------

Igrayne and Bao-Dur sat meditating in one of the dormitories. Much had happened, and although neither could bring themselves to sleep, they both desperately needed to refocus their minds. Now that they were promised to the Jedi Order, they both felt an increasing responsibility to protect the Republic, and the arising of Destrik was a burden on both their minds.

Igrayne thought of how Destrik had fed off the lightsaber he stole from her. Or maybe the lightsaber fed off him. Either way, Igrayne was very curious about the powers of the crystal that Indy had given her. Igrayne silently reminded herself to ask Indy more about the origins of the crystal later.

-------------------

Rani and Carina sat on the bed in one of the other dormitories in the ship. Rani held up a bag of ice to her bruised cheek as Carina fretted over her other bruises. After being in captivity for so long, Carina was anxious to help out with the crew as much as she could.

"Here's another one!" Carina exclaimed with disdain as she lightly touched the purpling mark on Rani's upper arm.

"It is okay, really, don't worry about me, they are just bruises," Rani said with a sigh, her mind elsewhere.

"But they are everywhere! You look like you got beat up by a army of Sith! You didn't, did you?"

"No," Rani replied, secretly enjoying Carina's nurturing attention, "hey, at least I didn't get all cut up like you did." Rani patted the bandage over the length of Carina's upper arm.

"Ah, it will be fine. Mical healed me," Carina answered, her eyes slightly brightening at the mention of Mical's name.

Carina continued to look Rani over, and found severe bruising on both of her forearms so pronounced that Carina could see the distinct hand shape of them. At the sight of these, she also remembered the bruises on Rani's inner upper thighs that Carina had noticed earlier.

"Who did this to you?" Carina asked, shocked by what the bruises suggested.

Rani looked at Carina, judging whether she would be able to tell her friend the truth. The genuine concern and sorrow in Carina's eyes were enough to convince Rani that she could trust her friend.

"Destrik," she replied to Carina.

Carina pounced off the bed, clenching her fists angrily.

"He wasn't satisfied with strangling you and beating you! He had to violate you like that!" Carina's voice cracked as she fought tears.

Rani was silent, her eyes glazed over as if she were desperately trying to control her emotions.

"Would you like me to stay?" Carina asked Rani, realizing that her anger would not help her friend.

"No, no, I'll be okay, you should go see how Mical's doing. He's probably overwhelmed after Atton's surgery, I doubt he's eaten anything all day."

"Neither have you," Carina said, torn between comforting her friend and going to the man she loved.

"If I promise you I'll eat, will you leave me alone?" Rani said with mock frustration.

Carina suddenly had an idea.

"Why don't you go to Carth?"

Rani raised an eyebrow, "I really don't think he wants to be around me right now."

"That's nonsense. Why do you think that?"

"Well for one, I know he's suspicious of me, probably because of Destrik kissing me right in front of him. And, he's so worried about finding Dustil right now, I doubt he would want me around."

"Go to him. He needs you right now just as much as you need him," Carina told Rani.

"I don't know…" Rani looked frightened at the prospect of facing Carth.

"Just think about it. Are you sure you are going to be okay?"

"Yes! Now go!" Rani yelled playfully.

--------------

Carina walked as quietly down the hallway as she could, slightly nervous about going to Mical.

_Force, I'm acting like a lovesick teenager! _Carina giggled softly at the thought.

She tapped her knuckle lightly on the outside of his door, not sure if she wanted to wake him.

Carina immediately heard shuffling behind the door, and soon it swished open. Mical stood before her, with a groggy expression and mussed hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep."

"Nothing from you is an interruption," Mical answered, his eyes already brightening.

Carina blushed, "would you like something to eat?"

"Well, all right, sure!" Mical answered, pleased that she seemed eager to spend time with him.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Carina bounded off before Mical could say anything more.

She returned not too much later, with sandwiches, soup, and juice for the both of them.

Carina and Mical sat themselves on the floor, munching away and chatting softly.

Mical's admission on the Leviathan that he felt that she was redeemed did wonders for Carina's mood and outlook on life. She wasn't completely healed of her emotional wounds, but she was definitely in a better place than before.

---------------

Rani tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. All of the things that happened on the _Leviathan_ were almost too much for her to bear. Every time that she began to doze off, she would dream of Destrik coming after her or of Carth being tortured.

Rani would not get any rest at this rate. She left her bed and threw a robe over her scanty nightgown.

The last nightmare that she had moments ago was that of Carth, his usually strong and steady body thrashing around and trembling due to the electric torture. Her need to see Carth alive and well outweighed her fear at what he might say to her.

She made it to Carth's door undetected. The rest of the ship was very quiet; most of the crew was sleeping.

She stood at his door, her hand raised to knock, but she couldn't do it.

Suddenly, the door swished open, and Rani jumped back in surprise. Carth was also startled to find her there at his door.

"Hey, something up?" he asked her with red-rimmed eyes. Apparently he was having a tough time getting rest too.

"Well…I…I couldn't sleep," she answered quietly, her head bowed slightly.

"Yeah, me neither," Carth answered her.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, Rani desperately trying to think of some way to word her thoughts.

"Carth, I am sorry about Dustil…we will find him and get him back," Rani said finally, knowing that Carth was terribly worried about his son.

"Yes, I will," Carth replied, determination in his brown eyes.

Rani was silent again, she was so worried about what Carth may be thinking about her, that she couldn't decide what to say to him.

"Uh, I guess I'll go now," she said, turning her back.

Carth reached out and grabbed her forearm, although he was gentle, he had touched one of the many bruises that adorned her body, and she flinched involuntarily.

Carth seemed momentarily confused before he realized what he did.

"I'm sorry," he said, slightly withdrawing his arm. His hand still hovered just over her bruise though, and he stared at it.

"It's okay," Rani said quietly, uncomfortable with Carth directing his attention to her bruises.

"Would you mind some company?" Carth asked Rani, much to her surprise.

She looked up at him, and he had an unreadable expression on his face. He took her hand softly and led her into his room.

Once inside, Carth pulled the covers down on his bed and laid down, gently tugging Rani's hand to indicate that she should lay beside him.

She smiled at him and removed her robe, tossing it on his footlocker before sliding under the sheets with Carth. As he adjusted the blankets to cover her, she snuggled up close to him, and he wrapped his arm around her.

They laid in silence, neither of them moving, with Carth on his back and Rani's head on his chest, her face settled in the crook of his neck.

Soon, Rani's breathing had slowed down, and it seemed like she was sleeping. Carth looked at the cheek that was not resting on his chest and saw the angry bruise. He remembered how she got it, trying to get Destrik off him. She had looked so distraught and fearful for his life that Carth had second guessed his original assumption that Rani still loved Destrik.

He wondered at this while softly tracing his finger up her arm, and his thoughts were, for the first time all night, not on his son.

----------------

Igrayne approached the garage with tentative steps. So much had happened--in the aftermath of the destruction, she had felt like a lost little padawan. No one had said anything; most just disappeared to their rooms or the dormitory. And Igrayne had lost her lightsaber. That was the number one cardinal rule Vrook had impressed upon her..._never_ to lose her lightsaber. He would be displeased with her if and when he found out.

Igrayne ran a hand through her dark hair to straighten it out before coming into the garage. However, she hadn't yet mastered the whole light-of-step routine. Bao-Dur looked up almost instantly from the parts he was tinkering with to her entrance. His remote was actively buzzing around the room, grateful its master had turned it on once again.

"General?" Bao-Dur asked, getting up from his workbench. He put down the hydrospanner he had been working with and picked up an old rag to wipe the oil and grease off his hands.

"Bao," she said with a nod. "What's the situation?"

"I am repairing some defective blasters. They malfunctioned when Admiral Onasi was using them. It's always good to have backup artillery, General."

"That it is," she said with a nod. Her blush belied the calm surface she effected. Even Bao-Dur could read deep into this, though he did not bring it to her attention, specifically because he did not want to embarrass her.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "For what you did for Atton."

"I, General? I did nothing," he replied in a nondescript tone of voice. She hated that she could never tell what he was thinking. Zabraks were a fickle, funny species; they masked their emotions well and weren't quite as open as humans. Perhaps this discrepancy between their species was what confounded her most.

"Oh, but you did," Igrayne replied, "both you and the Admiral. I'm so grateful for that. You might have saved Atton's life."

"'Might' leaves an awfully big margin of error, General."

"You're right," she said in a hushed voice, "I'll go see to him. Maybe he's up already from the surgery."

She smoothed her hands down over her robes and prepared to walk out of the garage.

"General?"

She immediately turned at the sound of her name being called. She would not have been so quick to walk out if Bao-Dur had something else to say to her.

"You didn't just come to thank me, did you?"

"Am I _that_ transparent?" Igrayne said half-jokingly, her teeth showing in a pleasant smile. This even earned her a smile from the Zabrak, something that usually occured very rarely in so somber a creature as him.

"It's my saber."

"Destrik has it," Bao-Dur stated.

"Yes." No surprise there.

"You want me to help build you a new one," he also stated nonchalantly. At this, Igrayne raised an eyebrow. She suddenly realized that her little charade of pretending to waltz in here for some polite conversation was deceiving nobody, least of all him. She _needed_ him to help her retrieve at least some of her dignity. The others would, no doubt, notice and poke fun at her lack of lightsaber.

"Yes," Igrayne said, "I was hoping you could help me... but I didn't want to come off sounding too..."

"Desperate?" Bao-Dur supplied her with the answer.

"Well, I wouldn't put it _that_ way," Igrayne said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's all right, General. I can help you. Just bring me the parts you need, and I'll help you assemble it."

"I already have the parts," Igrayne stated, though she didn't want to go into the specifics of how she had retrieved them. Bao-Dur's eyebrow raised slightly, but he didn't inquire further. He wasn't the prying kind.

"Very well, General. Bring them to me."

After retrieving the hilt, crystal, lens, and remaining components, Igrayne marched straight back into the garage, where Bao-Dur had prepared the workbench for them both. She spread out the pieces and watched him pick them up, one by one, determining how to fuse them together.

She watched his well-muscled arms work at building the base of the lightsaber, and every so often, he would take her hands and place them on the components, guiding her in the proper way to construct the lightsaber. He explained that she had to do it for herself, otherwise it wouldn't be suited to her needs or fighting style. So she followed his soft-spoken instruction, though she didn't know entirely what she was doing.

It was over an hour later, and she was placing the finishing touch on her new saber. Bao-Dur's hand guided her to the hilt and told her to press the switch to activate the saber. When she did, it danced to life. It was a beautiful violet blade, so unlike any other saber she'd owned that she was fascinated by it.

She took a few moments to swing the lightsaber around, hearing it hum and hiss as it cut through the air. She felt such a thrill just holding it, though she was indeed sad she had 'misplaced' her other one.

"There, General. Good as new."

"Almost," Igrayne said with a smile, pushing the button to retract the blade. She hooked it on her utility belt and turned to Bao-Dur with a smile.

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me, General. I am your humble servant."

Igrayne's features blackened at this half-hearted declaration. Though the Zabrak was kind and decent to her, he seemed to have difficulty accepting the fact that their new Jedi status put them on the same level together. No longer was he the lowly tech and she the war-weary Republic General. They were equals.

"Please, Bao-Dur, don't do this. I'm no General... not any longer. I am a willing student of the Jedi teachings. As are you."

Bao-Dur seemed to take the hint, discerning the truth in her words. He nodded indecisively, still uncertain of how to address her due to their new, equal status.

"Very well, General. But don't ask me to call you any differently. I've never known you by anything else."

A smile lighted Igrayne's features.

"Of course. You may call me what you wish."

"General," Bao-Dur said with a nod of the head.

She nodded too before excusing herself, her hand tremulously gripping the lightsaber belted to her side. She could feel the hammering of her heart, near-deafening in her ears. Why did she always feel this way when she went to visit the Zabrak?

The answer, plain and simple, was that she had some sort of camaraderie with him, due to their exposure and familiarity with one another during the wars. Though they never spoke, they still had some kind of a connection.

Igrayne practically skipped out of the garage, sitting down in the main hold. None of the others were in sight. It seemed as though everyone had wandered off to do their own thing. Perhaps they were ruminating over their last encounter with Destrik, and the unpleasant consequences of that.

She wondered bitterly if Atton was even alive at this moment.

---------------

As Carth traced his fingers along Rani's arm, his thoughts continued to wander. He recalled the horror in Rani's eyes as he was tortured in front of her, and the way her voice had run ragged after she had continually screamed out his name in terror. He could still remember the pain in her eyes as she was dragged away from the torture chamber by Destrik. He also remembered the hungry and fierce way that Destrik had kissed Rani right in front of him.

Carth's hand froze as Saul's dying words revisited him… _It is not simply by happenstance that she wound up in the same medical facility to which you were assigned. Nor is it happenstance that she continues to follow you and the others._

Carth removed his hand from Rani's skin and balled it into a fist. Looking down at Rani's face, she looked so vulnerable. She couldn't have any ulterior motives, could she?

_No, Saul was just trying to poison my thoughts against her_, Carth thought angrily.

But a nagging voice in the back of his mind continued to raise the question…was it just happenstance that she was here and that Destrik, her "dead" lover, was now a leader of the Sith?

More of Saul's words haunted Carth, _You travel closely with her, and yet you do not know her._

Carth stared at Rani's face so close to his, her chest rising and falling softly as she slept. How much did he know about this woman? He knew how soft her lips were, and how when he kissed her, her hands often strayed to run her fingers through his hair. He knew that when she laughed, her nose crinkled up slightly, and when she was truly smiling, her large dark eyes sparkled with merriment. He knew that she appeared to be fragile, but that there was a fierce strength inside of her that she wasn't even aware of. He also knew that when she loved someone, she would willingly give up her own life for theirs.

Carth smiled involuntarily, and he moved his hand back to her arm to touch her. She flinched slightly as he touched an unusual looking bruise on her forearm. He peered closer, squinting in the dark, and noticed that the bruise was in the shape of a hand.

_No doubt Destrik's work_, Carth thought, anger bubbling up inside of him.

Carth must have tensed up because Rani opened her eyes.

"Something wrong?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Yes," Carth replied tersely.

Rani was surprised at the tone of Carth's voice and sat up in their bed.

"What is it?" she asked him, her attention fully on him.

"I can't stop thinking about everything," Carth answered her, also sitting up.

"We'll go and find him, and he will come back to you. You'll get your son back," she said, placing a hand on Carth's shoulder.

"I'm not just thinking about Dustil," Carth replied, locking eyes with Rani.

She immediately dropped his gaze, afraid of what Carth would think of her if he knew everything.

Carth sympathized with Rani. She had gone through as much hell as he had. He decided to give her a chance to tell him before he brought out the hard-hitting questions.

"Rani, is there something you wish to tell me?" Carth tried to make his voice was as soft and kind as he could.

Rani removed her hand from Carth's shoulder and placed it in her lap.

"Carth, there is much I wish to tell you…but I'm scared."

Rani's eyes were glued to her hands, and Carth reached over and took both of them in his.

"Look at me, beautiful," he requested gently.

Rani's heart melted. Carth could always break her down with his soft words. With much effort, she tore her eyes away from his hands on hers and brought her gaze to his.

She was relieved to see them filled with understanding, and something else… love maybe?

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he said to her, his eyes never straying from hers.

"I'm afraid of what you'll think of me…"

"Nothing can change how I feel about you," Carth said vehemently.

Rani was surprised as well as Carth was, with his strong confession.

"I tried to turn Destrik," she admitted.

"That is nothing to be ashamed about. You were engaged to him for Force's sake, of course you wanted him to turn away from the dark side," Carth said, defending her choice.

"Yes but… while I tried to turn him… I… I kissed him," she blurted out.

Carth's heart dropped momentarily until he scolded himself, _You would do the same for Morgana._

"And then, I might have been able to turn him… except…"

"Except, what?" Carth asked curiously.

"Except he wanted to know if I would go back to him if he turned away from the Sith, but I couldn't answer him. After all he did to me…to you…I just…I no longer loved him."

Carth felt slightly ashamed at the happiness he felt to hear such words from her.

"You don't love Destrik?" Carth couldn't help asking it, he wanted to hear it again.

"No, I don't love Destrik," Rani replied, giving Carth's hands a squeeze.

Carth broke out into a huge smile, "well, that makes things easier for all of us."

Rani smiled back, but not wholeheartedly, there was still much she needed to tell him.

"Rani?"

"Yes?"

"Saul said some things to me before he died, well, before I killed him," Carth corrected.

Rani nodded at Carth waiting for him to continue.

"He implied that you may have ulterior motives for being here," Carth wanted to lay it all out on the table.

Rani started. "I ended up with you all because Evy saved my life, and Igrayne would not leave me on Onderon when the Sith attacked. You carried me yourself to the transport. And again, you saved me on Iridonia. And later, on Corellia, I tried to leave, since I felt like a burden. But Carina brought me back and insisted that I was to stay with you all, and I'm glad she did. I thought that my motives for being here were quite clear."

Carth could tell that Rani was telling the truth, her eyes always mirrored her feelings and thoughts. He had to ask the questions though, for both of their sakes.

"Did you know Morgana before she died?"

Rani could tell that Carth did not necessarily believe his suspicions, but they were there, and they must be dealt with.

"No, unfortunately I never met or saw Morgana," Rani answered, "although I did see you once, at a Republic party…"

Carth smiled, satisfied again that Rani was telling the truth. He felt much better knowing that the woman at his side was not the manipulator that Saul made her out to be.

Rani, on the other hand, still needed to tell Carth something. She needed to get it off her chest, and while Carth sat happily caressing her hands, she gathered her courage.

"Carth, I—"

Carth ignored her, instead squinting his eyes and staring into her lap. Rani stopped talking, trying to figure out what had grabbed Carth's attention. She followed his gaze until she stiffened at the realization of what Carth was looking at. Before she could pull her nightgown over her thighs, Carth reached out and pulled the hem up slowly, looking at her inner thighs. Normally, his touch in such an intimate place would have sent fire raging through Rani, but now she was just hoping that he would not understand how the bruises got there.

He stared for a while at the bruises, understanding slowly dawning on him.

His voice was low, "Destrik did this to you?"

She swallowed heavily and nodded slowly, not trusting herself not to cry if she spoke.

Carth pushed himself off the bed, and punched his fist violently into the locker in the room, leaving a large dent in the front of it. He paced like a furious caged lion in the room, clenching his jaw tightly.

"Now I have even more of a reason to kill him," Carth said dangerously, and Rani had no doubt that if Destrik was in the room, Carth would tear him to pieces.

Rani sat on the bed, watching him and wringing her hands wondering if Carth would be able to deal with her final secret.

Finally, Carth sat back down on the bed, hunched over, his hands covering his face. Rani wondered if he was crying. She tentatively put her hand on his back.

"I couldn't protect you," he said, his voice full of guilt.

Rani was upset that Carth would blame it on himself.

"No, don't think like that, there was nothing you could do, it isn't your fault," she said to him, pulling his hands off of his face and forcing him to look at her.

He looked into her eyes, almost getting lost in them. "This is the second time I wasn't able to protect the woman I lo—" He stopped suddenly, caught off-guard by his own admission.

Rani, too, was surprised, and all thoughts of the secret she wanted to tell Carth fled from her mind as she digested his words.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, before Carth gently took Rani's chin in his hand and led her lips to his. It was the best kiss Rani had ever had, and she felt like melting into Carth, disappearing into the heat of his body. Carth pulled Rani into his lap, as he deepened the kiss, eager to sample every part of her sweet mouth. Rani folded her arms around his neck, and ran her fingers through his smooth hair. Carth's hands ran slowly over her body, he wanted to replace all the pain that Destrik had given her with the tenderness of his love. Rani began to adjust herself on Carth's lap to straddle him, but as she was moving, she bumped a bruise on her leg and flinched.

Carth stopped the kiss, concerned for Rani.

"You okay?"

She was breathless and looked thoroughly flustered. Carth smiled at the sight. Even bruised, she was so beautiful. Rani nodded sheepishly, while pointing at the bruise near her knee.

Carth sighed, trying to get his pleasantly raging emotions under control. He wanted her more than anything, and she felt the same way, but with the condition she was in, he'd end up giving her more pain than pleasure.

Instead of playing out the sensual scenes that were running through his mind, he picked her up and laid her down on the bed before joining her.

"Looks like we'll just have to settle for cuddling, gorgeous," he said exasperatedly as Rani giggled.


	19. Meeting Trentyn

It was the day after and everyone except for Evy and Mical, who were checking up on Atton, was in the main hold.

Igrayne glanced down at her new saber and was reminded about that odd crystal Indy had given her. Looking over at Indy, who seemed oddly somber and quiet, she asked her question.

"Indy, how'd you get that odd crystal anyway?"

At this question, Indy seemed to squirm under the scrutiny of everyone. She seemed reluctant to give up any details, which meant that no one, not even Han, knew about it.

"I found it a couple of years ago. It's been giving me trouble ever since, but not to the extent when you guys came in…that's why I didn't sell it," she answered quietly.

Igrayne, who was insistent on finding where it came from, asked again, "Where did you find it, then?"

Indy muttered something, but Igrayne didn't catch it. "What was that?"

"I said Korriban!" Indy uttered in frustration. Expressions of confusion crossed most of the inhabitants' of the main hold's features.

"When did you go to Korriban?" Han asked, but she ignored him.

Igrayne fixed Indy with a scrutinizing stare, and finally Indy cracked.

"I used to work for them, hell, I was the _only one_ who actually worked for them! The others just snatched glory. It was a couple of years back, I hadn't met Han then. I got in trouble with someone on Corellia and CorSec shipped me offplanet to keep me out of the way." Indy paused. "Back then, I had quite the reputation of adventurer and treasure hunter, and when I got to Korriban… that reputation stirred up a lot of trouble. The Sith, who were excavating the Valley of the Dark Lords, kind of dragged me into their affairs."

"I ended up working for them willingly, I mean, _The Valley of the Dark Lords!_ Can you even imagine what's been hidden there for decades? I worked closely with several Sith, Masters and students alike."

At her mention of students Carth perked up. Maybe she knew Dustil?

"There was this one student which I helped, quite a lot actually, he reminds me of Carth in a way. He's paranoid, and his appearance makes him look like someone related to Carth. I believe his name was Dustil…" She trailed off in her story, and Carth tensed. She knew Dustil.

"And I've seen Destrik before…it was by pure luck that he didn't recognize me. It was under his watch that I nicked the crystal. I just couldn't help myself, it seemed to be calling, and I needed money anyway…the Master of the Academy, Uthar, was starting to look at me oddly, and I wanted out. So I resigned and left as soon as possible.

She grimaced.

"I never did sell the crystal…"

---------------

Evy held a damp cloth to Atton's forehead, silently observing Mical as he once again looked over his patient in order to determine his condition. The night had been relatively peaceful, but in the early hours of the morning Atton had taken a turn for the worse. Instead of shivering, the scoundrel had begun to run a rather high fever and he felt as if he were on fire. His body was desperately trying to fight off the infection that his injury had undoubtedly caused. Since his surgery, he had not yet awakened, but both Evy and Mical knew that it was perfectly normal behavior after experiencing such trauma.

Mical examined Atton's leg carefully, lightly pressing upon the skin surrounding the wound to see if it issued any reaction. Not surprisingly, Atton groaned and trembled slightly. Mical continued to press gently upon different areas of his leg as Atton twitched similarly.

"So," started Evy, breaking the silence. "Do you think he'll make a full recovery?"

The doctor nodded, looking satisfied.

"The odds are certainly in his favor at the moment. I believe that the surgery was a success, since he seems to have regained feeling in his leg. It's definitely a good sign…"

Evy looked both pleased and relieved as she looked upon Atton affectionately.

"However," Mical continued, seemingly breaking her trance "As a nurse, you surely know that he needs time to recover. It may be some time before he's up and running again. The healing process can be potentially slow and painful, and the next few days will be vital to his recovery. I wouldn't advise that he moves, unless it's absolutely necessary. Any sort of movement at this stage can be a potential risk."

As he finished speaking, Mical looked at her rather seriously, but Evy had no doubts that Atton would be well again in no time.

"I understand," she said, "And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to aid him in his recovery."

"Good. So, I suppose you've become his own personal nurse."

A smile tugged at the corners of Mical's lips as Evy blushed furiously.

"Well, I believe I shall leave now," said Mical, finally standing up from his place on the edge of the bed. "I'm in need of a trip to the 'fresher. If you require anything, you know where to find me."

"Sure thing," said Evy, and she watched as Mical made his way to the door. He was just about to leave when she stopped him, softly calling out his name.

"Mical?"

"Yes?" The doctor paused in the doorway, looking back at her.

"Thank you."

A somewhat confused expression crossed Mical's features. "For what?"

"For everything," she said sincerely. "You saved his life."

Mical seemed slightly flustered as he gave a modest shrug. "Such are the responsibilities of doctors. I merely did what was required of me."

Evy gave a polite and meaningful smile. "Yes, but you did it well."

The doctor didn't quite know how to reply to her comment, so he merely blushed before exiting the room, once again leaving Evy to look after Atton.

_I'll take care of you,_ she thought as she ran her fingers through the scoundrel's messy brown hair. _Don't you worry._

----------------

Carth strode up to Indy, determination on his face. "We are going to Korriban."

Indy blanched. "Korriban?"

"Yes, I need to find my son."

Everyone in the main hold was silent as they thought about Carth's words.

"None of you are required to help me," Carth said stiffly, "but I will find my son."

Rani stood beside Carth and took his hand. He squeezed her hand softly, but did not break his eye contact with Indy.

Indy stood completely still, her face still pale, and let the memories of her last stay on Korriban wash over her.

Igrayne was the first to speak up. "I will help you, Carth."

"As will I," Bao-Dur immediately added, wanting to accompany Igrayne, as always.

Carina walked up behind Carth and Rani, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We will get your son back," Carina said.

Everyone's eyes were on Indy, after all, the Centurion's Blade was her ship, and they would not be able to complete the mission without her.

"Will there be a reward for helping you, Admiral?" Han called from his place in the cockpit.

Indy quickly spoke before Carth could answer. She didn't want anyone thinking that she was doing this for money. No amount of money would be able to convince her to set foot back on that Sith-infested planet. She truly did want to help out her friends.

"Yes, we'll head to Korriban then," Indy said nervously.

Carth's eyes warmed visibly at Indy's answer, and he smiled at her as he said, "All right then, you get some rest, and I'll pilot us to Korriban."

The next morning, Carth was expertly landing the ship on Korriban. The trip was a lot shorter than Indy would have liked, and she had spent most of the night thinking about all she had ran away from on Korriban.

Hesistantly, she had decided to forgo her usual fedora. She knew that without it, she was almost unrecognizable, except to those who knew her well. The last thing she wanted was to be recognized by anyone on the planet.

Igrayne and Bao-Dur were also taking pains to disguise their looks, especially those that hinted at their associations with the Jedi order. Bao wore his least stained technician's overalls, and hid his lightsaber in his utility belt. Igrayne also eschewed her usual Jedi robes and instead wore a tight trouser and tunic ensemble made of deep brown leather. As she tried to find a place to hide her lightsaber in the undeniably body-hugging getup, Bao-Dur watched her with an amused smile.

"General?"

Igrayne looked up at him, slightly frustrated, but unwilling to change her clothes. After all, it seemed like forever since the last time she wasn't in the figure-hiding Jedi robes.

"Would you like me to keep that for you?" Bao continued, gesturing to her lightsaber.

She gladly handed it over and smiled.

Evy was still by Atton's side. He had been sleeping most of the time, waking only momentarily to whisper a few unrecognizable sentences before dropping back into oblivion. She was worried about him, but she knew that Mical was doing everything in his power to help Atton. Mical had even come in earlier announcing that he would stay on the ship with her and Atton while the others went on the mission, so that he could keep a close eye on Atton.

Evy had been grateful that Mical would be there, but selfishly, she was looking forward to her time alone with Atton. Soon, Carina entered the small medbay hold and motioned for Evy to approach.

"Yes?" Evy whispered to Carina.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am staying too, in case you need anything," Carina answered.

Evy gave her a knowing smile, "yeah, I'm sure that is the only reason you are staying."

Carina blushed before continuing, "well at least I'll keep Mical out of your and Atton's way."

Both women smiled at each other before returning to the sides of their men.

Once Carth landed, he was anxious to get going. He checked on Igrayne, Bao, Indy, and Han, and they all looked about ready to head off. Carth went to the dorm he shared with Rani, and stood silently at the door. She was still in her nightgown, and she was diligently applying some sort of lotion to her legs.

"What's that?"

Rani jumped at the sound of his voice and hid the bottle behind her back, "nothing." She said nervously.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Carth replied, advancing on Rani.

She stood up, still hiding the bottle behind her back. He stood in front of her, staring into those big deep brown eyes of hers.

"Let me see, beautiful."

"No," she replied playfully.

Carth wrapped his arms around her, wrestling the bottle out of her hands. He peered at the small bottle, then raised his eyebrows at Rani.

Rani sighed. "All right, fine, I'll tell you. I asked Mical if he could give me something for the bruises, and he gave me this."

Carth laughed loudly, and then gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"All right, gorgeous get ready, I want to leave soon."

Despite her normally bronzed complexion, Rani turned almost as pale as Indy had, "I… I'm not going. I'm staying on the ship."

"No, you're not. I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Destrik is probably here, and I'm not leaving you alone for his taking," Carth said protectively.

Rani saw that there was no use arguing with Carth, and sighed, "ok, I'll be out in 10 minutes."

Indy, Han, Igrayne, Bao-Dur, and Carth stood waiting in the main hold. 

"So, where we heading first?" Han asked.

"I think we should head to the cantina," Indy suggested, "maybe we can find someone there who can help us into the academy."

"All right, but what's our plan? We can't just walk in there as us… what so we tell others we are doing here?" Igrayne asked.

Carth looked at Indy with her archeologist clothes and a few tools, and an idea dawned on him, "we are part of Indy's crew."

"Ok?" Bao-Dur said, encouraging Carth to go on.

"Indy is an archeologist, right? So, if anyone asks, we are all part of her crew. She's looking for artifacts for a 'private' investor," Carth explained.

"Yes, but that implies that we are doing something illegal," Indy said concerned.

"Exactly. Who on this planet isn't up to something shady? Besides we need something to distract from our true purpose here," Carth said.

Rani entered the hold then, in a full length, long-sleeved, and hooded tan dress. Her defining, long, golden brown locks were pulled back in a low bun. Indy was surprised at Rani's appearance, she almost looked like she was trying to keep a low profile too.

Carth quickly explained the situation to Rani, before turning to the rest of the group.

"All right, everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded silently, and Indy hoped that she was ready for whatever was to face her on Korriban.

The entire group made it to the cantina near the Sith academy with little trouble. They all were covered with dust, since the wind picked up while they were headed towards the building. They all brushed themselves off, before picking a table in the corner of the cantina that was large enough for the six of them.

A twilek waitress approached the table to take their drink orders. In order to not be suspicious, they all ordered one. They sat around the table, sipping their drinks once and a while and chatting quietly.

One man in particular caught Igrayne's eye, but she was not sure why. He was obviously, a Sith recruit, a young man, and he was surrounded by fawning women at the bar who all would laugh loudly at everything he said.

Bao noticed Igrayne's interest, "someone you know?"

Igrayne continued to stare at the man, did she know him? He looked vaguely familiar, but she was pretty sure that if she had ever seen him she would remember. He did have a very striking appearance, fairly tall, with shiny black hair, piercing blue angular eyes, and bronzed skin. He was obviously charismatic, by the ease at which he was keeping the attention of the women surrounding him. But there was something about the man's winning smile that tugged at Igrayne's memory.

"I don't know," she answered Bao.

Indy noticed Igrayne intently staring at something. Her eyes followed Igrayne's line of vision, and then they alighted on the man. Immediately, Indy stiffened with surprise.

Han noticed Indy's reaction. "Do you know him or something?"

Indy couldn't take her eyes of the man, her mind whirling with memories. As Indy continued to stare at him, he looked right at the group's table.

The man silenced the women he was with, and walked directly towards their table. Indy was stunned, her breath caught in her throat, but something was off… he wasn't staring at her.

Instead, the man walked right up behind Rani.

"Is it really you?" the man asked with an emotion laden voice.

Rani looked absolutely stunned as she stood up from her chair and faced the man.

"Trentyn," Rani breathed as the striking man embraced her.

Indy unexpectedly felt a lurch of jealously as her former love interest embraced Rani.

Carth stood up in his chair, and waited for Rani to break her hug with Trentyn.

"Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Carth asked her, looking absolutely livid.

Rani looked extremely nervous as Trentyn still held on to her arm gently.

"This is Trentyn, my brother."

Both Indy and Carth had surprised but relieved expressions on their faces.

Igrayne finally realized the reason that he had looked familiar to her, Trentyn was Rani's brother. Although the resemblance was not striking, it was obvious to Igrayne now that Rani and her brother stood next to each other.

Rani introduced each member of the group, and when she introduced Indy to Trentyn, they stared at each other. The look exchanged between them was so intense that everyone at the table noticed it and fell silent.

Han cleared his throat angrily beside Indy. He was quite annoyed that there was obviously history between Indy and Trentyn, and he wanted the man far away from Indy.

Carth took Rani's hand and pulled her away from the table. They exchanged words, Carth first looking angry and then he seemed to calm down as Rani explained something.

They shortly returned to the table, and Rani turned to Trentyn.

"We need your help," she said, looking into his eyes pleadingly.

"Of course, Rani," Trentyn answered.

It was obvious to the rest of the group that the connection between brother and sister was strong but conflicted.

"He's Sith," Carth spat, pointing out the obvious—what the others were too afraid to voice.

"He's my brother," Rani stressed. She'd felt no need to tell him about her brother at the time, but now she saw what a mistake it was. Carth shook his head, two strands of hair falling into his eyes.

"I don't accept help from Sith scum."

Trentyn looked the Admiral over with amusement, then to Rani. She tried to keep a pleasant smile on her face so the already-strained relations between the two men wouldn't spill out into a cantina fight.

"Look, Tren, we need some help getting into the Academy."

He leaned back in his seat, flipping a cred chit in one hand.

"It's not going to be easy," he observed.

"Yes."

"But I think I can help you out."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. She was his sister, after all; he _had_ to help her in times of need.

Trentyn returned to the cantina a few moments after procuring the necessary Sith recruit uniforms. He began handing them out one by one, and each crew member accepted them, except for Carth.

"No—no way am I doing this!" Carth growled, his voice shaking with anger. "I _refuse_ to put on the Sith emblem!"

"Then you can forget about getting in, old man," Trentyn replied cockily, obviously peeved at the opposition he was meeting with. He raised an eyebrow at Rani as though to question her choice of companion, but said nothing.

"Tren, it's all right," Rani said reassuringly, turning to Carth to lay a hand on his shoulder. She lowered her voice to a whisper, so Trentyn couldn't hear. "Carth, look, this is the only way we can find Dustil. We can't very well go storming in their in Republic uniforms. We'll be blasted on sight."

Carth gave a resigned sigh. It was obvious he didn't favor the plan, but there wasn't much else they could do given the circumstances.

"All right," he said, snatching the uniform, "But I don't like it."

Rani rubbed his shoulder and said, again, in a whisper,

"Just think of Dustil."

He nodded huffily, almost angry that she would use his son as leverage to persuade him to don a Sith uniform. He had been so adamant about it, that she suddenly realized why he was the rank he was. His devotion to the Republic was incredible.

Trentyn sat down at their table and casually ordered a caffa. As the waitress bustled over with his drink, he slapped her on the rear end. The giggling twi'lek went scurrying off.

"Now, here's what we'll do," Trentyn said, hunching forward over his steaming hot cup of caffa. He sipped lightly at it so as not to scorch his tongue, blowing little puffs of air to cool it off at intervals. "I can get you past the guards at the front entrance. That's a piece of cake. What I'm more worried about is her."

He circled his thumb to indicate a very confused-looking Indy. Her brow immediately furrowed as all the crew members turned to look at her.

"What did _I_ do?"

"More like what you _didn't_ do," Trentyn said. "Since you left, they've really cracked down on who they accept into their ranks. They thought you might've stolen some artifact from Ajunta Pall's tomb or some rubbish..."

Indy looked incredibly guilty but merely said, "Oh?"

"Yeah, well, your leaving has put them on edge. Imagine what they'll say if they see you come striding back in. They won't exactly roll out the welcome mat."

"The man's got a point," Han said loudly, looking over at Indy, who was merely glaring daggers at him.

"What?"

"Thanks. Big help you've been, Han."

Trentyn leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper as several Sith masters walked into the cantina. Yuthura Ban, a beautiful Twi'lek master, was standing in one corner to greet them. Indy understandably shrunk a little in her seat, so as to avoid being detected.

"Here's what I propose," Trentyn said, "Indy's got smuggler skills, right? So she's pretty slick. While I lead the team into the Academy, Indy stands watch on the ship."

"Like hell I will!" Indy said, perhaps a little louder than she had meant to. Yuthura's head swiveled ever so slightly in their direction, then turned away when she found that nothing was out of the ordinary. Trentyn seemed amused by Indy's outburst.

"Still throwing tantrums?"

"Shut up, Tren," Indy replied, wanting right then and there to suckerpunch him. He was way too smug for her liking. The fact that Han was here to witness it was what bothered her even more. She guessed that Trentyn was merely doing it for his benefit.

"Look, I know all the ins and outs of the Academy," Indy said.

"As do I."

"There's still no use for you to just leave me behind!"

Han's hand was rubbing Indy's back in a concerted effort to calm her down. Though her face was red with irritation, she was otherwise sedate.

"It's Dustil," Rani said at last. Trentyn's head immediately turned to gape at her.

"Dustil?"

"Yeah."

"Dustil's the reason you came?" His lip curled in a sneer. "What, are you two married or something?"

"He's Cart...I mean, Admiral Onasi's son," Rani said, indicating Carth with a slight tap of the hand to his forearm. Trentyn raised an eyebrow.

"Right. 'Fraid it's not going to be that easy then. Getting you in, I can do. Brainwashing Dustil...well, that's another story."

"What do you mean '_brainwashing_?'" Carth asked desperately, his hands clawing the table. "I want my son!"

Trentyn looked guilty. Rani tugged his arm.

"What is it?"

"Destrik. He returned to the Academy yesterday," Trentyn replied. "He's full Sith now, not an apprentice anymore. I think Uthar may even have rescinded his rights as Master to him."

Rani shook her head, frightened.

"He...Oh, Tren, I can't tell you all of the details, but you just have to trust me! Destrik tried to kill us...me."

Trentyn shook his head.

"I know. That's how I knew you were coming. He told me so himself. Said that all the prefects should all keep an eye out for your return, just in case." He laughed a little to ease the tension. "Imagine how cross he'd be if he found out I was fraternizing with the enemy."

"The _enemy_?" Rani queried. "Oh, Tren, not you too!"

"Relax," Trentyn said, "Unlike Master Destrik, I don't share some of his self-absorbed notions about you. Like the fact that you almost tried to kill him."

"That's crazy!" Rani fumed.

"Is it?" Trentyn asked. His suspicion was evident, but Rani did nothing to dispel it, only continued further.

"We had better leave now, before Yuthura notices something's up," Trentyn pointed out. "Let's leave one by one. We don't want to rouse suspicion."

After they agreed upon this course of action, one by one, they began to leave the table. As soon as they were outside, they found a 'fresher in which they were able to change into their new uniforms.

Igrayne felt uncomfortable. It seemed as though this one was even more form-fitting than the last. She tried to mask her embarassment when Bao-Dur walked over and snapped a belt around his waist. He looked clean and crisp in his new uniform.

"You ready, General?" he asked, motioning to where the others were congregated. Igrayne shook her head 'no.' She had difficulty fitting the clasp of her new belt together. She figured the latch was stuck somehow, so she indicated it shyly.

"Stuck?" Bao-Dur presumed. She nodded a reply. "Let me help."

He took a half step forward, taking hold of each side of the belt as he closed it around her waist. He tried to tinker with the latch so it would give a little. His hands were able to manuever it into a closing position. He made a few more adjustments, then stepped back. Igrayne hoped she wasn't considerably redder.

"There you are."

A beeping emitted on his wrist transmitter. Bao-Dur glanced down at it with shock.

"I don't believe it."

"What?"

"Kevan. He...he's alive!" the zabrak said, the emotion evident in his voice.

"That's wonderful news," Igrayne said with a smile.

"I shall have to contact him after we achieve our objective," Bao said, clicking a switch to silence the comm link.

They walked over toward the others. Trentyn was telling them something. The last part they caught was,

"I'll lead you to the Sith dorms. Dustil and Selene are there. Perhaps we'll get lucky and no one else will be around."

"All right," Carth said decisively, snatching back order, "Let's go."

Trentyn watched with amusement as Carth stormed ahead of the group, leading the way. Then, he extended an arm across Carth's shoulders to prevent him from walking any further.

"It's best that I go first, Admiral. You don't want them mistaking you for a Republic pilot, do you?"

"No," Carth said through gritted teeth, his dislike of the man evident. Trentyn nodded with pleasure, taking the lead.

"Follow along. We haven't much time to waste. They'll all be going into the mess hall for dinner soon."

With that, they set off on the long walk to the Academy, which jutted out from behind a distant outcropping of rock.


	20. Infiltrating the Sith Academy

When they arrived at the front gate, Tren's well-known face was enough to grant them easy access into the Academy. The rocks all around the structure were crumbling, and some dotted the ground a good few hundred yards below.

Off in the distance, Indy could see the Valley of the Dark Lords. Though the setup had changed somewhat, there was still a team of archaeologists hammering away in the wasteland below. All the tombs of the deceased Sith Lords—Naga Sadow, Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos, Tulak Hord, Acheron Lakesis, and Kyanduso Thrawn—were under heavy security. And rightly so. It was with great cunning that Indy had snuck into one on her off-hours and stolen the ancient Sith artifact...and it had given her trouble ever since.

She felt Han's hand settle in the groove of her shoulder, and she turned her eyes away from the excavation site. It brought back many painful memories, yet she'd also had some of the happiest days of her life down there on the dig.

"Let it go, Indy," Han said.

They didn't have much more time to talk, as Trentyn reached the front doorway, presenting the Sith medallion around his neck for inspection, and the Sith trooper waved them in.

"Move along," the mechanical voice commanded.

They did just that. Once inside, Igrayne and Bao were amazed at the cavernous halls of the Academy. They seemed to stretch forever onward in all directions, like the snaking arms of a tomb. And that was exactly what it resembled—the cold stone belly of a tomb. She fought back the urge to shiver as they walked inside and passed a great throng of students scurrying to and from classes.

Trentyn bumped into one particularly pretty girl who shot back an apology and went on her way. When she did a double-take, however, she smiled with recognition.

"Hey, Tren!" the girl replied. Trentyn smiled, working the charm. The girl peered quizzically at the other six, but said nothing as to who they were.

"Friends of yours?" she merely asked.

"Yeah," Trentyn said.

"I didn't really think of you as the friend type," she said, quite obviously flirting with him. Trentyn seemed to be enjoying the abundance of female attention.

"Yeah, well, don't go thinking it means we're all going to hold hands and sing," Trentyn quipped. The girl blushed and giggled.

"I'm off for training with Master Uthar."

"Already?" Trentyn asked, feigning interest. When the conversation strayed from flirtation, his attention span quickly lapsed.

"Yes. Don't tell anyone else, but he thinks it may be time for me to begin my Trials," the girl replied.

"Excellent," Trentyn replied. "Is Dustil going with you, too?"

"Dustil?" the girl snorted. Rani could see Carth's ears perk up visibly. "Nah. He doesn't do his work. Master Uthar thinks he's got potential, but he's lazy. It'll be a while before he passes his Trials."

"Ah, I see," Trentyn replied, gaining the information necessary to completing their little quest. He smiled and rubbed the girl's arm, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

"See you later," he said. The girl was smiling from ear to ear as she bustled off toward the training room down the center hall.

Trentyn turned around to the others, both hands clasped together.

"Was that really necessary?" Indy asked with irritation.

"It tells me what I need to know. Dustil's in his room," Trentyn replied. "We'd better reach him before dinner. Sometimes Master Uthar's speeches can drag on..."

Indy snorted in understanding and muttered something inaudible under her breath, earning her a look from Han.

"I'll go...alone," Carth said, his voice trembling with anticipation. As Rani rested a hand upon his arm, she could feel him shaking. He was so close to finding his son that he could barely contain his excitement and dread.

"No," Rani said.

"It's best to have someone with you. You don't want him calling for his lackeys, do you?" Trentyn said bitterly.

Carth unholstered his blaster halfway to show he meant business.

"I said _I'm going alone_."

Trentyn raised both hands to indicate he had given up trying to reason with the disagreeable Admiral.

"Fine by me. Rani, you go with him."

Despite the feeling of being placed in a precarious position by possibly becoming the mediator between Carth and his estranged son, she couldn't help but feel she wanted to do this. Carth had saved her, and now it was her turn to save him—in whatever way she could.

"All right," Rani replied, "But where will you guys be?"

"We'll head down to dinner," Trentyn replied.

"Oh great, just throw me into the snake pit!" Indy complained.

"Relax. You're with me. Nothing can go wrong," Trentyn promised. Han rolled his eyes sarcastically at that statement.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Rani asked with concern. Despite her brother's Sith association, he was still a good person at heart. She knew this, and that was why she had tried to turn him many times.

"Yes. Fine. Now go."

Rani and Carth walked away at breakneck speed, while the others turned and headed for the mess hall, following the large gathering of students that amassed in the central corridor. Most of them carried sheathed lightsabers and were buzzing with conversation. Still others of them were using their lightsabers to demonstrate new techniques they'd learned on the younger students. None of the Sith Masters seemed to mind.

Rani and Carth rounded a corner, trying not to appear too conspicuous. When they heard footsteps turning the corner, Carth quickly snuck his hands under her armpits and tugged her into an alcove. As the dark figure passed by, Rani's eyes opened wide with shock and her heart nearly stopped.

"Destrik," the word came freely out of her mouth. Carth tried to restrain her from speaking by placing his hand over her mouth, but it was too late.

"Be quiet," he whispered huskily into her ear, his whiskers tickling the sensitive skin of her neck.

After Destrik was beyond earshot, she glanced up at Carth.

"I thought you wanted to kill him."

"After I find Dustil," Carth promised. "I've got to restrain myself long enough to find my son. Then, I kill him."

"You can't," she said softly. Not surprisingly, Carth's look was one of genuine concern.

"And why not, gorgeous?"

"Because he can be saved. I know he can!" Rani exclaimed. Carth's laugh was hollow sounding.

"You damn women! You think all you can do is go around saving everybody!" He pointed his finger in the direction Destrik had been walking. "That man is a traitor. He deserves no mercy or leniency. He deserves _death_."

As though that were a challenge, Rani flung her wavy hair over one shoulder, gripping the vibroblade belted to her side.

"For a Republic soldier, you've got an awful lot of angst."

"Yeah, well, try living through the wars, beautiful, and then you talk to me about angst."

Deeming it safe enough to expose their hiding place, Carth gripped her hand hard and pulled her out of the alcove. They walked down the remaining rows and rows of Sith dormitories until they came to the one they had been looking for. Trentyn had pointed the way to it mere minutes ago, but now that they were finally here, Rani could sense Carth's utter lack of direction. What would he say? What would he do? Dustil was Sith.

There was no one in the room when they entered, to Carth's dismay. Rani turned over a few footlockers, but found nothing of interest. Instead of desecrating the rest of the room, Carth tugged her arm.

"Come on—let's go."

They both turned around straight into a burly chest. Rani hit her already bruised forehead on it and looked straight up into startlingly brown eyes—eyes that belonged every inch to the man standing beside her. As she pulled back a bit, she was better able to glimpse the young man. His brown hair was slicked back sharply, and he had on a white shirt and some black trousers with a single stripe up their side, denoting rank.

He had his arm wrapped loosely around the waist of a pretty girl with cropped blonde hair. Part of it was braided into a topknot, but tiny tendrils curled around her ears. She, too, was looking at Carth with hatred. Neither of them seemed particularly surprised by the fact that he and Rani were geared up in Sith raiment.

"So the rumors are true," the voice said with cold amusement. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed one leg over the other. "Master Destrik told us of an—_unpleasant encounter_ he'd suffered with you while onboard the Leviathan, resulting in the death of his mentor, Saul Karath. I must say, though, I never expected there to be any truth to the rumors. Surely not my father. All he cares about is honor and glory, not revenge."

"Dustil," Carth said dangerously.

"Find anything interesting, Father?" the cold voice of the young man rasped. Carth's eyes widened with shock. His son now stood a good few inches taller than him, so he had to crane his neck to look up. It certainly began to diminish his position as the authority figure.

"Dustil," he said quietly.

"Long time no see. I didn't expect that when we met again, it'd be me finding you snooping around my room. Were you looking for something specific, or just something to incriminate me with?"

Carth, in his hand, had a datapad that he placed immediately on the nearby metal desk.

"No."

"What are you doing here?" Dustil asked.

Instead of remonstrating with the younger man, Carth decided to present his case.

"I'm here to take you home. To Telos."

Dustil cackled, though Carth was unsettled by his apparent apathy.

"Telos? It's nothing but a smoldering rock in the galaxy. Come on, Father, you'll have to do better than that."

"Now, Dustil, you listen—"

"No, _you_ listen, Father!" Dustil said, suddenly blowing up at Carth's perceived sense of calm. "I'm sick and tired of listening to your lectures!"

"Don't you speak to me in that tone!" Carth said, in one last desperate attempt to gain back control of the situation. Rani merely hung back, saying nothing. It wasn't her place to, anyway.

Dustil had fully advanced into the room, along with the girl.

"I'm sure Master Uthar will be interested to know just what you're doing here. Perhaps you can better explain it to him yourself," Dustil said, nodding to the girl to signify her to go notify the authorities. When she was walking away, Carth yelled out,

"No!"

Dustil held his hand out, and the girl paused in her tracks. Like Rani, she too watched the events unfold.

"I don't appreciate you talking to her like that, Father," Dustil said angrily. "Selene's been a friend to me from the moment the Sith discovered me on Telos. She brought me here, helped me to join...I'd be lost without her."

The glance that passed between them was a telling one. Rani could tell for certain that Dustil, despite the perverse sense of pleasure he was deriving from this little argument, was smitten with the girl. Even Selene had the first flush of love upon her cheeks, which reminded Rani just how she felt with Carth around.

"I haven't come here to provoke you, Dustil, so calm down," Carth began. This did the opposite of its intended effect, fueling Dustil's rage to the point where he flipped over one of the nearby chairs.

"Don't you tell me to be calm! You left me to die on that waste of a world, while you were off searching for honor or glory, or whatever it is you Republic people do. You didn't give a damn about me, and you sure as hell didn't give a damn about Mother!"

The sound of her name struck a nerve with Carth. Rani could see the despair he blinked back behind his eyes, and the utter loss of control. Despite it all, Carth collected himself enough to reply,

"That's not true. I searched for you... and your mother, I held her while she—"

He closed his eyes, looking away to disguise the fact that he was very near tears. Rani wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him, but now was definately not the time or place.

"I searched for you. On Telos... well, I thought you'd be safe there, but my task force arrived too late to be of much help. I made inquiries and followed the reports from Telos, but... I stopped."

"And that was your mistake, not mine," Dustil reminded him.

Carth nodded his head in defeat.

"You're right, son."

Rani remembered what Carth had said to her one night while they laid in bed. I don't expect you to understand, but I have to pay him back for what he's done..._I have to. It's all I have left_. Now that he had dispatched with Saul Karath, his attentions were fully focused on a person he hadn't ever expected to see again. With Dustil in the equation, it complicated their relationship even more. She almost wished they'd never made this little side stop.

"I'm sorry, Dustil. I failed you,"

"No, Father. You failed yourself."

Selene signalled to two of the passing students, who quickly ducked into the dormitories. The stocky boy was towered over by a taller, leaner girl, and another, shorter one.

"Mekel, Lashowe, Shaardan," Selene said by way of introduction. Mekel came in with both hands on his hips.

"What is it?"

"Looks like we've got a couple of intruders," Dustil remarked, the corners of his mouth curling deviously upward. Even Selene seemed to share his excitement of the current situation.

"Oh, yeah?" Lashowe, the blonde girl asked. "How'd they get in? Security is tight."

"... But not doing their job," Dustil replied. "Seize them. Don't harm the girl."

"Look," Carth said, raising an arm over Rani as he stood in front of her protectively. The three new arrivals were beginning to corner them. Rani did a quick scan to assess their situation. Two of them had lightsabers—the other was unarmed. Even Dustil and Selene had their lightsabers balanced on a nearby footlocker. It wouldn't take much to dodge for them and activate it. But Rani had never even held a lightsaber, much less used one. She'd watched others do it, so she was sure she could manage, but figuring it all out in a matter of seconds was what worried her.

"You don't touch her," Carth warned Mekel as he lurched closer.

"Don't worry, old man. Dustil says we don't touch her, we don't touch her."

Carth wrestled with him as he made to dodge at the man, but Mekel caught him with a sharp upper cut to the chin, knocking him down for the count. As soon as he was lying flattened on his back, Lashowe straddled and proceeded to pummel him. Rani screamed as she heard her knuckle crunching against the bones in Carth's face.

Several more minutes and it was all over. An excited Lashowe was visibly restrained by her friend Shaardan, who tugged the older girl by the seams of her uniform to get her off the Admiral. Lashowe wiped the back of her hand against her nose, cleansing the blood off her knuckle. Carth groaned in pain as he lay against the floor.

Dustil dropped to one knee beside him.

"That'll teach you to come back here spouting useless promises."

He stood up and nodded to the others.

"I'm going to fetch Master Uthar."

Dustil walked out, followed by Selene and Shaardan. Only Mekel and Lashowe were left to watch Rani and Carth. Rani dropped to Carth's side, immediately putting her hand beneath his head to prop it up.

"Hey!" Mekel screamed, drawing his lightsaber. "Back off!"

There was no mistake about the imperative command in his voice, so Rani acted accordingly, slipping Carth's bruised and bloodied head back onto the slab beneath him. She moved back slightly, both hands raised.

"Good," Mekel said, deactivating the humming saber. He looked over at the good-looking blonde beside him, snaking an arm around her waist to pull her to him for a kiss. Lashowe merely responded with a slap in kind.

"What was that for?" Mekel groaned, clutching a hand to his cheek.

"Don't try it again, pig."

Rani watched Carth's chest rise and fall very slowly. Her vision was so focused on him, it was easy to overlook the two lightsabers sitting in the periphery of her vision, balanced on the footlocker. They were both just within her reach. All she had to do was make a quick run for it, fall into a drop-and-roll pattern, and activate the blade by pushing the button.

But which was the right button to push? There were a few buttons on these lightsabers—obviously newer, fancier models than what she had been accustomed to seeing with her other crew members. It might take several minutes to activate them, not seconds. Time was what she didn't have.

Rani did the unthinkable. She wasn't about to stand around, waiting to be reported. She ran for the lightsaber, her hand fumbling frantically with the two cylindrical objects so that one fell and toppled away with a metallic clang. The sudden movement and noise alerted Mekel and Lashowe to what Rani was attempting. They both had their lightsabers out in an instant. But it had taken Rani even less time than she anticipated.

Within minutes, she was swinging the lightsaber around, defending herself with it. She ran towards Carth, to protect him. Mekel initiated his attack first, causing her to back up against the wall. She couldn't let him corner her, or she'd be done for. She decided to press back, swinging. Their blades crossed, the sabers groaned, and Rani was able to summon enough power to poise her saber high up in the air and drive it through Mekel's stomach. He gave a gasp of pain and lurched forward, instantly dead.

Lashowe flung herself at Rani, screaming at the knowledge of what she had just done. Rani narrowly avoided being hit by Lashowe's stinging blade, sidestepping it just in time. She clamped both hands on the saber's hilt until her flesh and knuckles were milky white. Then, taking an awful risk, she removed her saber from its protective stance and ran it through Lashowe's back. Like her friend, she toppled lifelessly to the ground.

Rani just stood staring at them for a long time afterward, the saber still alive in her hand. It was so empowering just to hold; she couldn't get enough of the feeling. Then, she remembered something more important. She deactivated the saber and ran to Carth's side to check for life signs. He was still alive, but he was badly beaten, and his blood was splayed all across the floor of Dustil's dormitory, as a testament to their little fracas.

Rani used all the strength in her body to scoop up Carth's weight, wrapping his one arm around her neck for support. She hobbled toward the door with him in tow.

"Come on, Carth, we need to leave!" she said urgently.

With that, she began the long trek down the hallway, determined to find the others and go as quickly as possible. The negotiations had not turned out as planned, so there was no need to stick around here any longer. Carth had most certainly given up on his son by now, or so Rani thought. But had he?

--------------

Back on the Blade, Evy was still busying herself with tending to Atton. Since the others had left for their excursion in the Sith Academy, she had scarcely left his side. To her concern, Atton still had not fully awakened and the only sounds that he emitted were feverish ramblings. His condition seemed to have worsened since the crew landed upon the stifling desert planet and Evy worried that the intense heat was affecting him. Undoubtedly, his high dosage of pain-killers and the fact that he was still fighting off an infection were not making him any more lucid, either.

Atton tossed and turned upon the bed, mumbling incoherently as Evy observed him. She gently held a cool cloth to his forehead in a futile attempt to get his fever back down. Her eyebrows raised in concern as she tried to distinguish exactly what the scoundrel was saying in his feverish state of delirium.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and looked straight into her eyes.

Evy looked back at him, noticing how his eyes were slightly red and glazed.

"Atton? Are you all right?" she asked with concern in her voice.

He looked over her face, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"Sweets, there's two of you," Atton mumbled.

This raised her worry, "Atton, how are you feeling?"

He mumbled something that Evy couldn't make out. She continued to strain to try and listen to him, but she wasn't understanding much.

"Mushra see… I need heruslk…"

"Atton, I can't understand you."

He seemed to snap out of his delirium momentarily at the sound of her voice.

"Did I ever tell you," Atton said, his voice clear, "that you have an amazing ass."

Evy giggled softly as she turned red. Even in this state, Atton knew how to get to her. Her distraction was short-lived, however, as he seemed to slip back into his feverish state.

"You, you know I have to… I must kill him… betray… I needed her…"

Evy's brow furrowed in worry as he continued to blabber.

"Atton, I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to get Mical."

As he turned to leave him, he grabbed her wrist again, surprisingly strong even with the state he was in. She turned back and looked at him quizzically.

"You are like a dream," Atton said.

Evy was silent, she couldn't tell if he was saying something important or if he was just spewing nonsense. His eyes were still red, but they looked more focused then before. He released her and looked at the ceiling.

"I love you," he said quietly, before shutting his eyes.

Evy slowly backed out of the room as she thought over his words, Did he really mean that?

She ran to get Mical, whom she found lounging with Carina on his bed.

"Sorry to disturb you both, but Mical, Atton is feverish. He's in some sort of delirium."

Evy rushed with Mical to the medbay, and she sunk into the chair next to Atton's bed as Mical observed him.

_Does he really love me?_

Her eyes stayed trained on Atton as she pondered his words. She missed Jeran terribly, and she had promised him her love until the day she died.

_But if he loves me_, she thought, looking at her handsome scoundrel, _then that changes everything._

-------------

Trentyn and the others arrived at the dining hall and everyone in the group seated themselves. Indy had Han and Trentyn flanking her, while Igrayne and Bao sat beside Han to Indy's right.

When Master Uthar walked in, everybody saw how Indy stiffened and her jaw was set. It seemed like she was desperately trying to pop her brain out of her nose or something. Han just looked at her oddly while the Force Users realized she was making an effort to make sure her mental armor wouldn't breach.

Uthar looked into the crowd around the table, as if seeing someone familiar, but he turned away and then started on one of his speeches, something about the glory of the Sith and all that crap.

Neither Han nor Indy was listening. Han was trying to calm Indy a bit down because she looked a bit red. She sent him a brief glare, and on the side, Trentyn glared at their exchange quietly.

His opinion of Han was short and to the point: worthless scum. He didn't like the apparent closeness between the two.

She had been a valuable asset to them during the years…and he even remembered Master Uthar saying something about her, but he couldn't quite recall it.

When Uthar was finished, everybody at the table started eating, and Trentyn sent Han a glare which Han returned.

Indy, of course, didn't see the exchange, but she could see the tension between them.

Soon Trentyn started whispering into Indy's ear, and Han sensed something was amiss when Indy turned pale as a sheet. Something that Trentyn guy had said had hit home with Indy.

Han's eyebrows shot up when she violently pushed Trentyn away and said something along the lines of "That was a long time ago, I'll never return to that."

Han always knew Indy had been keeping stuff from him about her past…but this seemed more sinister than he had at first believed.

--------------

After dinner ended, Igrayne and Bao-Dur excused themselves from the rest of the group and strode down the hallway. Han had warned them not to go far, especially since he was in such a foul temper with Tren's continued presence. Bao's nose wrinkled at the scent of the death that permeated every wall of the place.

"I'll be happy to leave here, General."

"Me too, Bao."

They flashed two medallions that Trentyn had stolen for them at the Sith guard, who let them through the gate with a warning that they should be back by nightfall. As they tripped along the crusty mountain ledge, looking down over what appeared to be a sandstorm brewing on the horizon, Bao-Dur nodded.

"The cantina seems like a good place to go," he said softly, "To find clues about Dustil."

"That is if Rani and Carth haven't already found him," Igrayne added.

They made it to the docking facility unscathed. The cantina was jampacked with tons of rebellious students, all out late when they should have been in bed. Igrayne sidled in to the nearly full room and pressed up against the wall, watching Bao do the same. The whole room pulsed with electronic symphonies, and Igrayne felt like her eardrums would shatter.

To keep up appearances, she approached the bar and flicked a couple of cred chits in the direction of the barman.

"What'll it be, lovely?" he asked, catching the chits with a dirty rag he used to clean the bar's cups and utensils.

"A juma," she said, then looked over at Bao, "Make it two."

The barman grew instantly sober.

"We don't serve your kind in here. You'll have to wait outside," he barked in a thick Korriban accent. Bao-Dur wasn't offended, or if he was he was doing a fine job of masking it. He merely looked to Igrayne and said,

"I'll go."

"No," Igrayne replied, tossing another few credits in the barman's direction.

"I'm sure you can overlook that for me?"

"Yes, my lady!" the barman said, scrambling like an idiot to pick up the credits she'd tossed at him. She took a seat on one of the bar's stools, swiveling around to watch the dancing in the center of the room. There was a loud commotion from some bar fight, but Igrayne ignored it and let her eyes move back and forth over the room, scanning for someone of interest. Trying to find the least evil of the Sith students was like trying to pin a tail on an angry bantha. She had to seek out at least one whom she could trust not to betray her questions about Dustil to another of the students or masters...

"Hey, baby, lookin' for a bit of company?" a melodic voice whispered into her ear. A hand settled on the slope of her shoulder, running up and down, sending chills running up her spine. She felt unsettled by the intimate touch as she looked over to see who the lone arm connected with. It was a very debonair-looking Sith student, perhaps one of the older prefects by the smug way he was carrying himself.

She picked his fingers off her shoulder, one by one.

"No thank you. I'm not here for fun."

The man didn't relent. He sidled up to her against the bar, one arm propped up on its metallic surface. Seeing him at this angle didn't make her think him any less a disgusting pig.

"All business, eh?" the man said. She nodded.

"'Fraid so."

She turned around so that her back was faced to him, fixing her eyes on a concerned-looking Bao-Dur. Was that a strain of jealousy she detected hiding behind his eyes?

"C'mon baby, let me show you a good time."

Igrayne shrugged her shoulder as he tried to manhandle her once again, then merely held out a hand to place atop Bao-Dur's.

"What...you're with this alien?" He said the word with such contempt, that Igrayne's eyes blazed at him with fury.

"He has a name."

Bao-Dur's arm clasped her around her shoulder. Despite the fact that he was wearing a Sith uniform, the student seemed to have a very clear idea of where humans and Zabraks stood with one another.

"Come on, Igrayne."

"You let your alien talk to you like that?" the man marveled. "You should teach him some manners."

Igrayne turned around, her eyes blazing at the statement. Her hand almost strayed to the hidden lightsaber in the folds of her very tight outfit, but Bao-Dur's hand clasped hers before it met its mark.

"Don't," he warned harshly.

"Give me one reason not to," Igrayne challenged him. He stared long and deep into her eyes before releasing her hand, realizing that he had no right to touch her that way.

Igrayne nodded her head to the door.

"Come on, let's go. There's not much else we can do here if we're going to be continually harassed."

They got up and made ready to leave, when their loud, drunk friend at the cantina shouted,

"Walking away, _alien_?"

Bao-Dur turned around dangerously, his own eyes dark and sober from the name-calling. He was used to being treated differently on planets other than Iridonia, but something inside of him snapped at the unfair treatment.

"What of it?"

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere in the servant's quarters, shining shoes?" the man mocked.

"Bao, let's go," Igrayne's voice was drawing him back to reality. He could always feel her presence, like the calm after the storm, calling to him. He followed her as she led him out and into the deserted corridors of the docking facility. Bright lights and music still pulsed from behind the closed doors of the cantina.

Bao-Dur was walking slowly with her toward the Academy, but she stopped him before they got past the steel doors.

"Don't let it bother you. You're better than that," she told him.

"I don't know if I am, General," he said cryptically.

Suddenly, in a bold an unanticipated move, Igrayne swung herself up against his well-muscled chest, wrapping both arms dangerously about his neck as she pressed her lips to his. She didn't know where that had come from. Though Bao-Dur yielded at first, he not surprisingly returned the kiss with as much fervor as he could manage. She could feel every bone in his body tensing as she held him there for a few more long moments, locked in an amorous clinch. She was suddenly aware of how very hot and very tight the uniform she was wearing was.

It was a moment sparked of impulse, and nothing more. Master Vrook always warned against impulses; he would be very unhappy with her. Just as quickly, Igrayne pulled herself away, letting a hand drift to her puckered lips. Her voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper.

"Stay with me tonight."

Bao-Dur had enjoyed the kiss. There was no denying the fact. It had been completely arbitrary, but that was what he liked most about the General. If he were ten years younger, he might have taken her up on her offer. But, as it was, he was feeling old and tired. She needed someone to match her in years, someone who could offer her so much more. Not a Zabrak as scarred and hollow as him.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, stroking lightly as he gazed into her eyes. What he wouldn't give to accept her.

"What about Trentyn? He's a fine man, seems interested in you."

This wasn't true, but she suspected he'd said it just to convince her otherwise.

"I don't like the fawning type."

Her hands lingered on the collar of his uniform, pulling him closer. After a few moments, however, she broke the contact and they continued to walk in the direction of the Academy. For the first time since she had known him, she comletely shut herself off from him. His rejection was downright humiliating, and now she had to live with it.

"Han and Indy and the others are waiting," she said quietly as he followed her trail up the mountainside back into the Academy where the others were waiting.


	21. A Bittersweet Reunion

Rani had no idea how she managed it, but she tugged Carth all the way to the entrance hall of the Sith Academy. Carth was still conscious, but barely, and the severe swelling of his face was worrying Rani. She had to get him to the ship and to Mical, and fast. Rani silently thanked the Force that they had not as of yet run into anyone. If they had, they would have looked very suspicious, since not only was Carth obviously injured, but Rani had blood on her Sith uniform. Some of the blood was Carth's, his nose and lip were both weeping blood, but some of it came from the two Sith recruits Rani had killed.

Rani's legs and arms were beginning to become very fatigued, and she shook from the effort of supporting most of Carth's weight. She had no idea what to do, and Carth was in no condition to advise her. There was no way that she would be able to make it all the way to the ship by herself. She had been mostly keeping to walking right beside the wall, partially so that she could use the wall for support, and partially because she hoped that she could try and hide if someone were to approach.

Rani almost screamed as she felt a hand grab her arm. Instead, she pulled out the lightsaber that she had stolen from Dustil's room, and was about to ignite it, when she heard the soft voice of Bao-Dur.

"I'll take him back to the ship, you contact the others."

"How did you find us?" Rani asked.

"Now is not the time," he said gently, while shouldering Carth's weight from Rani.

Bao took in Rani's blood-stained clothes, "try not to be too conspicuous."

--------------

Trentyn leaned back in his chair while stroking his chin and studying Indy.

_She has changed little_, he thought, _although she thinks she has changed._

He enjoyed making Indy uncomfortable around him, and it didn't take much given their history. He continued to watch her, making little comments to ensure that he was constantly on her mind. He glanced over at Han every once and a while to see the man's frustration building over Indy paying more attention to him than Han. Something seemed to tug at his mind though, and he stopped his little game with Indy and Han long enough to glance at the entrance to the large dining hall. Tren's eyes met with the panicked ones of his sister.

Tren nodded slowly to Rani to indicate that he had seen her and that he was coming.

Softly, he turned and whispered in Igrayne's ear, who had returned just moments earlier, "Something's wrong, we need to leave."

Igrayne was not surprised to hear this since Bao-Dur had decided to stay in the entrance hall after they had returned. He had told her that he had felt a slight disturbance in the Force and he wanted to keep a watch out, although Igrayne suspected that he was avoiding her after what happened between them earlier.

Trentyn told Igrayne that he would leave with Indy, and that she should leave with Han a couple minutes after them so that they would not attract too much attention. 

Igrayne nodded her understanding as Tren gently took Indy's elbow and stood her up. She looked at him questioningly until she too saw the blood-stained Rani at the entrance. Indy allowed Tren to lead her out of the dining hall, although the nearness of him was making her uncomfortable. As they walked out, many women shot Indy death stares.

"Oh Tren," she whispered to him, "still the womanizer aren't you?"

He looked down at her, his face closer to hers than she would have liked, and he laughed softly.

"I can't help it that they want me," he answered, in true Trentyn fashion.

She rolled her eyes at him, but did not pull her arm from his grasp. She was greatly surprised to realize that the man still had some sort of a hold over her. She had thought that when she left, without so much as a word of goodbye, that she would be free her feelings for him. But here she was, fighting down the warmth that crept up her arm from his touch.

As soon as they made it to Rani, she told them about Carth's injury and his need to make it back to the ship. Trentyn left Indy with Rani to wait for Han and Igrayne, and Tren ran ahead to catch up to Bao and Carth. He caught up with them just before they reached the main door to the Sith Academy. Although, Tren didn't know the whole story, he was pretty sure that by now the guards would have been alerted to the presence of intruders. He stopped Bao-Dur to explain the situation.

"What's the plan?" the Zabrak asked.

"Let me go out there first, see who's guarding and hopefully I can get them away long enough for you all to get out," Tren answered.

"Why are you helping us, Sith?" Carth groaned at Bao's side.

Trentyn looked at the badly beaten Admiral, "I'm not helping you, I'm helping my sister."

With that said, he walked out the door. 

Tren walked up to the nearest Sith guard outside of the door, "Were you alerted of the intruders?"

The guard looked at Trentyn distastefully; he did not like being questioned by a mere recruit.

"Look, man," Tren began formulating a plan in his mind, "I saw them leaving from the other exit," he said while pointing east, "they are probably headed toward the ruins. If you want the glory of catching them, I suggest you and your men head over there now."

The guard looked excited and then wary, "why are you telling me this? Why didn't you just nab them yourself?"

Trentyn flashed the guard his winning smile, "I may be a good fighter, but I was alone. Besides, I expect a reward after you catch them."

At this statement, the Sith guard believed Tren, and he took all his men and ran off in the direction Trentyn had pointed.

The others waited just inside the door, Bao still supporting Carth, and Rani trying to keep Carth awake by quietly talking to him and touching his chest. Igrayne stood beside Bao, watching to see if anyone entered the entrance hall. Indy and Han stood facing each other, Han questioning Indy as quietly as he could.

"What's up with you and the Sith guy?"

Indy sighed, "His name is Trentyn."

"Don't change the subject, missy!"

"Did you just call me missy?"

"You are doing it again…"

Trentyn rushed back in the door, motioning for the others to follow him as he tried to take Carth's arm. Carth pushed Tren away, growling slightly.

"Alrighty then, don't be such a Hssiss," Tren joked to Carth, "Han, could you grab his other arm?"

Han rushed up to help Bao-Dur support Carth. They rushed as quickly as they could out of the Sith Academy. Indy was surprised to not see one Sith guard in sight.

"What did you do?" she asked Tren with amazement.

"Just played on their hunger for power and glory," he replied.

"Yes, Sith tend to be like that," she said, hoping the comment would sting.

"You know that's not why I joined the Sith," he replied, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"Actually, I don't," Indy said, feeling slightly bad for her previous comment, "you never did tell me why you joined. Come to think of it, you never told me much about yourself. I didn't even know you had a sister…"

Trentyn just glanced at her before jogging to the front of the group to help lead them back to the _Centurion's Blade_.

--------------

On the _Centurion's Blade_, Evy was still by Atton's side, loyally watching over him. To her relief, his fever had finally dropped over the course of the last hour and he looked considerably healthier than he had earlier in the day. Although she didn't mind looking after him, Evy's body was beginning to become cramped from sitting in the same position for hours upon end. Deciding to take a breather, she stood up from her place in the chair beside Atton's bed, stretching out her aching limbs. She was about to exit the medlab for a quick trip to the 'fresher when Atton once again began to stir. Evy moved closer to him and she observed as he made several futile attempts to open his eyes. When he finally succeeded, his eyelids fluttered slightly before finally focusing his dark gaze upon her.

"Hey…it's good to have you back," she said, giving a warm smile as she took his hand into hers.

"Hey," Atton said rather groggily. The scoundrel seemed rather disoriented and he hesitated a moment before speaking further. "Where am I?" 

Evy's brow creased in concern. "You're in the medlab… you've been out of it for nearly two days now. Do you remember anything?"

Atton concentrated hard, desperately trying to recall the events of the last couple of days. It took him several moments before everything came rushing back to him and he sat up rather briskly, instantly throwing off his covers to see that his leg was still intact, although heavily bandaged.

"It's all right," soothed Evy, noticing his obvious moment of panic. "Your leg is fine. Mical performed surgery and you're going to make a full recovery. Just relax…"

She eased him back into a laying position as Atton let out a sigh of relief, grateful that his encounter with Destrik had not left him paralyzed or without a limb. 

"So, how's the pain?" Evy asked when Atton seemed to calm a bit. He shrugged, wincing slightly.

"Still hurts like hell," he stated honestly.

Evy offered him a sympathetic smile while patting his hand. "Well, unfortunately it's not time for another dose of pain reliever yet. Hey, you hungry at all?"

The only nourishment that Atton had received since his injury was administered through an IV in his arm, so she figured that he might want some solid food. Atton seemed to consider the question for a few moments before giving a nod.

"Yeah… I'm starving."

Over the course of the next several minutes, Evy aided Atton in eating some soup, as she carefully shoveled it into his mouth. He didn't seem to mind all of the extra attention and if Evy wasn't mistaken, he was actually enjoying it. As Atton finished eating, Mical entered the medlab, looking utterly surprised to see that his patient was finally awake and functioning.

"Hello, Atton," he said politely, as a slight smile tugged at his lips. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Thanks, Doc," drawled Atton, glancing from Evy to Mical. "It's good to be back."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to examine you again…just to be sure that your recovery is progressing." 

"Sure, whatever," Atton said rather indifferently.

Evy stayed for the brief examination and she observed as Mical placed his hand upon Atton's forehead, checking his temperature.

"Hmm…you still feel a bit warm," stated Mical as his expression turned pensive. "Perhaps a cold shower will bring it down… you seem well enough to be able to stand on your own. You may need assistance in getting to the 'fresher, though."

Atton stole a glance at Evy, who suddenly looked rather nervous. Mical couldn't seriously be implying what she thought he was…

"I do feel pretty cruddy," Atton admitted. Evy thought that the comment seemed odd coming from the scoundrel, since he was certainly not renowned for his cleanliness… but she supposed that nearly two days of sweating profusely in a feverish state had a way of making a man desire the need for a shower.

"All right then," said Mical nonchalantly. "Well, I suspect that the two of you will figure some way of making this work... Just make sure that your wound doesn't get wet, Atton. It's likely to be painful. "

Atton nodded in understanding and before Evy could stop Mical in order to speak with him, the doctor had stood up from his chair and exited the room rather abruptly.

The nurse and her 'patient' were once again left alone together, as Evy stared after Mical in disbelief. _What the hell had gotten into him? He's taking this whole 'personal nurse' thing way too far…_

"So, what do you say, sweets?" asked Atton, once again drawing her attention back to him. "You ready to help me into the 'fresher?"

He grinned rather suggestively at her and she placed her hands upon her hips in an imposing stance.

"Well, I see you're back to normal…don't get too excited, Atton, it's not like I'll actually be joining you in there."

With seemingly no other choice, Evy proceeded to help the scoundrel out of bed and into a rather awkward standing position. He leaned heavily upon her, inhaling a sharp breath of air as the pain in his leg intensified, and she looked at him with concern.

"You sure you're alright? Maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"Nah, I'm fine. Believe me, I really think I need a shower…"

"I couldn't agree more."

"Hey!"

They both laughed, as they began the slow trip down the hallway and to the nearest 'fresher. It took several minutes for them to arrive at their destination as Evy supported Atton. He limped alongside her, and their drastic height difference didn't make things any easier for them… but they eventually succeeded in the task

Once in the 'fresher, Evy walked Atton over to the shower as he got in.

"You think you can handle this yourself?" she asked, half-jokingly. "I don't want you to fall over and injure yourself even more…" 

"I'm fine, babe. Stop worrying about me," said Atton rather confidently. In order to further convey his point, he pushed himself away from Evy in an attempt to stand on his own. However, he nearly fell over as he wobbled dangerously, and Evy caught him in her arms before he hit the ground.

"Okay, maybe I should help you…"

Atton looked as if he were about to protest, but he shrugged, allowing her to stand next to him in the shower as she kept him upright. Their close proximity gave her quite a thrill, but she forced herself to push her raging emotions into the back of her mind. Evy was about to turn on the water when Atton stopped her.

"Wait! Let me get my shirt off…"

Evy blushed furiously, trying not to stare as Atton removed his shirt, once again displaying his well-toned torso to her. He grinned, still leaning upon her as he gave her permission to turn on the water.

"Go ahead." 

_At least he decided to keep his pants on…thank the Force he suffered a leg injury!_

Evy turned the switch, sending a cold fountain of water spraying down upon them as they both shrieked. 

"Damn, that's cold!"

Since he was standing in front of her, Atton caught most of the blast, but it was inevitable that she would need a new change of clothing. Evy continued to serve as Atton's support as he let the water pour unto him, savoring the coolness of it as he ran his fingers through his hair. Several awkward moments passed before Atton broke the silence.

"You know, I have to admit…I've thought about the two of us taking a shower together, but this isn't quite how I had imagined it…" 

Heat once again rose into Evy's face, despite the cold water that continuously rained down upon her, and she gave a half-hearted laugh. Deciding to ignore his suggestive comment, she asked, "So, are you feeling any better?"

Atton displayed a rather lecherous grin as he stared at her intently.

"Yeah, but I'd feel a lot better if you took your shirt off, too…" 

His gaze drifted to her chest and Evy froze as her blush deepened. Her eyes immediately dropped to the floor as she avoided looking into his eyes. She couldn't tell if he was being sincere, or if he was just mindlessly flirting with her. Sometimes he was so difficult to read. His next action confirmed her questions, however, as Atton ran his hands down her arms and along her torso, until they finally found her waist. Evy let out an involuntary moan as he gently caressed her and she felt as Atton gripped the bottom of her shirt, slowly pulling it upwards as her stomach was revealed. Evy's heart was beating furiously in her chest as her mind raced frantically. 

_Why are you letting him do this? Stop, girl, stop!_

But she didn't tell him to stop. She wanted him far too badly for her own liking… Atton was just about to finish his task when frantic yells were heard coming from the hallway. Evy immediately snapped out of her trance, pulling her shirt back down as she turned the water off. She looked at Atton apologetically, mumbling a brief 'stay here!' before scrambling out of the shower and into the main hold. To her surprise, the crew had returned… and she caught a glimpse of Carth's battered and bloodied body.

_Oh no…_ she thought bitterly. _Here we go again…_

----------------

"Stay with me, Admiral, we're here now, stay with me!" Han's voice boomed as he tried to keep Carth conscious.

"Atton's out of the bed, put him in the medbay," a soaked Evy ordered. 

"Where's Mical!" Rani hollered with alarm.

"I'll get him!" Igrayne called back.

"Who is this!" Carina asked loudly as she saw Trentyn.

"Your boyfriend?" Tren replied, appraising Carina.

"What!" Carina said, stunned at the man's flirtatious demeanor.

"This is Rani's brother, Trentyn," Indy told Carina while rolling her eyes yet again at Tren.

All the shouting amounted to a dull roar to Carth, as he struggled to see out of his right eye, which was almost swollen shut.

Bao-Dur and Han each helped carry Carth to the medbay, and they laid him on the now unoccupied bed before backing out of the small room to allow Mical more room to treat Carth. Rani fluttered around the bed, asking Mical question after question, before Mical finally gave Igrayne a pleading look.

Igrayne understood and gently pulled Rani out of the room, before closing the door behind her to allow Mical the quiet that he needed. Soon, Evy walked in supporting a teetering Atton.

The main hold sounded like a zoo as everyone talked excitedly at once, greeting Atton and trying to figure out exactly what happened in the Academy to Carth. Igrayne, still holding on to Rani's arm, pursed her lips and let out an attention-grabbing whistle. The room went quiet and everyone's eyes were on Igrayne.

She briefly introduced Trentyn to those who had not yet met him and then gave everyone in the room a warning look before turning to Rani.

"Do you think that you can tell us what happened?" she asked Rani softly.

Rani closed her eyes momentarily, before beginning her story. She began with Carth pulling her into the alcove to hide them from the approaching Destrik and ended with her dragging a battered Carth into the entrance hall when Bao-Dur found them.

During Rani's recounting of events, everyone had been quiet and still, but as soon as Rani fell silent, a laugh echoed throughout the main hold. Everyone turned to see a highly amused Trentyn, having one hell of a belly laugh.

"Something funny, Tren?" Indy asked him, seething with anger. She couldn't believe that he'd laugh at a time like this.

"Come on, Sis," Tren addressed Rani with a huge smile on his face, "you can't really expect me to believe that _you_ killed _two_ Sith recruits with a _lightsaber_, all by yourself.

Rani shook her head disapprovingly, but she had expected this kind of a reaction from him. Even though she was the older of the two, Tren had always felt that she needed protection.

"She's splattered with blood!" Indy yelled at Trentyn, defending Rani.

"Yeah, Republic's," Tren answered while jerking his head to the medbay.

Rani pulled out the lightsaber that she had inadvertently shoved in her pocket after the fight and tossed it at Trentyn's feet.

Trentyn stared at it for a few seconds before squatting down to pick it up. He studied the deactivated saber carefully.

"This is Dustil's lightsaber, she's telling the truth," Tren said with an amazed look on his face.

"Well, duh!" Indy said, wanting to slap him on the back of the head.

"How do you know?" Atton questioned as he reclined in a plush chair with his injured leg propped up.

"Well, Dustil and I have dueled countless times. My almost-brother-in-law thought that I would be the best person to help Dustil train…"

"How close are you to Destrik?" Atton asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Evy put a warning hand on Atton's shoulder. She did not want him getting any more ideas of taking his revenge on those associated with Destrik.

Trentyn casually leaned back against the wall, "Well, you know, we were pretty close, until he beat and tried to kill my sister."

Atton half laughed, half scoffed.

"Uh well, we have a problem," Carina began, "the docking authorities demanded to know why we were here. I told them our little story about being Indy's archaeology crew, but since we haven't been doing any digging, we're starting to look very suspicious. I managed to pay off one of the admins. That should buy us a day or two, but if we want to stay on this planet, we need to find some kind of cover."

"I think I could help you there," Tren said.

"Okay, let's hear it," Igrayne replied.

"Last time Indy was here, she uncovered some nifty little artifacts for the Sith. The only problem was she took off with a very valuable one."

Indy narrowed her eyes. She'd never known that Tren really believed that she stole the crystal.

Tren continued, "But now that the crystal has been miraculously returned to the Sith, I'm sure they will forgive the little mishap, and let you have another go at it."

"Why would I ever want to do that!" Indy cried.

Trentyn advanced on Indy, locking eyes with her, "Because, my dear, I have come across some information that leads me to believe that the artifact you really wanted to find in that tomb really is there still. And I know how to get it."

Indy's lip trembled slightly. It was all too much. The artifact that she had dreamed of her entire life, was there, in that tomb, waiting for her to get it…

"Anyway, I must get back to the Academy. But if you decide that you want this, Indy, meet me in the cantina tomorrow at noon."

Trentyn embraced his sister and whispered something in her ear before leaving the crew.

-------------

Trentyn seemed to have made some offer that appealed to Indy, because right on time, at noon, Indy and the rest of the crew were in the cantina, with the exception of Atton, Evy, Mical, Carina, Rani, and Carth.

Han was worried for Indy. She seemed skittish and nervous, but at the same time had a special gleam in the eye. He could tell she wanted something in the tomb, something she had been waiting endless _years_ for.

"So, you're coming?" Tren asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I am," she said with a ferocious glare directed at him. Her temper seemed to be on edge now. "Would you expect anything less?"

"No," he stated simply.

"How's it going down?" she said with an air of business around her. There was still eagerness present in her voice.

"Well, I managed to convince them that you weren't behind the theft, and that only worked when I reminded them of your…_service_ to the Sith. They decided to let you at it again, even if you're no longer…_one of us_."

As his words sunk in, everybody's eyes swiveled to Indy. Had she really been Sith?

"Don't remind me of that," she said with a sneer at him. "I have yet to hunt down the one who got me into that mess, and I swear when I find him he'll be sorry he ever met me that day on Corellia and came with that _brilliant_ idea of his."

Indy clenched her fists and then leaned back into her chair. She was fighting anger that was dangerously close to bursting. Han immediately knew she hadn't been completely honest with him when she first had met him. Well, he hadn't exactly been honest with her, either.

But he had to admit, he sure did want to know who 'he' was.

"I've been told to escort you and your crew to the Valley, where you will be set to work. You can go into any tomb and investigate," Tren said as he stood. They would have to get to the Valley as soon as possible.

Trentyn marched towards the Academy, and the crew all followed. The only difference from last time was that they all had their normal clothes on, with the exception of Bao and Igrayne's Jedi robes.

As they walked trough the Academy, several seemed to recognize Indy. It was apparent she was renowned for her finds here on Korriban.

During the walk, Indy kept her eyes fixed on Trentyn's back, a serious expression on her face. She was thinking of what Trentyn had said yesterday about the artifact—if it had been there all the time, under her very nose as she hurried to complete the dig and find it so she could get away from the Sith. She would be very pissed at herself if Trentyn's claims proved to be true.

Only time would tell, and Indy had plenty of it.


	22. Entering Naga Sadow's Tomb

As they walked silently through the valley, several of the Sith students and apprentices stopped what they were doing to stand up and peer quizzically at Tren and Indy. A few of them wiped the sweat from their brow, the backbreaking toil obviously having taken its toll on them.

"Is it really?" a girl asked. "It can't be!"

Tren had his arm on Indy's shoulder, pushing her along as if to say there was nothing to see here.

"Rheya Pollard," one man whispered, transfixed by the sight of Indy walking past them. This admission earned a few jeers and angry cries here and there, but for the most part, the mood was one of pure wonder. Indy had been quite the archaeologist in her day, turning up some of the Sith's most invaluable historical finds to proudly display in the Academy. It had almost cost her the favor of Yuthura Ban because Uthar Wynn would extoll at length about Indy's virtues to the point where the twi'lek would grow insanely jealous. Indy had learned to steer clear of Yuthura while working in the Academy.

They walked through the dig site past a few unearthed relics. The unamused teacher who looked to be in charge of the whole shindig took it upon himself to go walk up to the pair and interrogate them.

"What's _she_ doing here?" he queried, indicating Indy scornfully. "No students are permitted down here without my permission."

"Relax. This one's fine. Checked her out myself. Seems that little mishap with your artifact wasn't much of one. The crystal's turned up in Destrik's hands."

The man jabbed a finger straight into Tren's chest, earning him a low grunt.

"That's _Master_ Destrik to you, young one. A note of respect is necessary when referencing Admiral Karath's chosen successor."

"Right, right. Master Destrik," Tren said half-heartedly. He was about to roll his eyes when the Sith teacher fixed him with a calculating stare. Tren decided it wasn't the day to test his bounds, and settled his hand upon Indy's shoulder once again.

"Well, we're off. We've received the go-ahead from Master Destrik himself to start digging."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Did you say 'start digging?'"

Tren returned with, "Yeah, you heard me."

The unimpressed Sith's arms almost immediately crossed. Judging from his stance, he wasn't going to allow Tren to order him about all that easily.

"Explain."

"Master Destrik's recruited Indy... and some of the other students, as well... to begin a full-fledged excavation of Naga Sadow's tomb."

The man's lip curled, revealing a particularly wolfish set of teeth. He assumed that this was some kind of a joke.

"That tomb is off-limits. We haven't even begun the preliminary excavation yet. _No one_ is allowed in there."

Tren's shoulders slagged in response to this statement.

"Suits me, but _you're_ going to have to explain to Master Destrik why you appealed his command, not me."

The Sith's sloe eyes narrowed dangerously as though that were a challenge. He cast his eyes out over the horizon, watching an impending sandstorm begin to build. It was just about time to cover up for the night. Students were zipping up the tents housing some of the most renowned artifacts and disbanding their posts for the night. Already, a large group of them were flocking back toward the Academy.

"You will need supervision, of course," the Sith said, relenting a little. The job didn't have enough pull with him for him to want to stay past his evening hours.

"Not a problem," Tren explained, motioning toward Han. "Destrik's sent along a man to keep me on the straight and narrow."

"I see," the man said, not bothering to question Han's choice of attire, or the fact that he looked like the polar opposite of a Sith. He was growing quite bored with the conversation.

"Secure the vaults when you are done," he said before walking away, sending one last suspicious glance over his shoulder.

After he was well out of earshot, Han said with a snicker,

"Gee, did you think that guy was ever going to let us pass?"

"All too easy," Tren replied, walking up to the tomb to gain entrance. Surprisingly, the tomb was unguarded. The meager amount of security they had applied had been in the form of brawn: a couple of meatheads from the Academy who had nothing better to do than stand there and pummel any who tried to enter the tomb. They were stationed there to stop the influx of wayward students into and out of the tombs. The students weren't particularly motivated by any allegiance to the Sith; rather, monetary dividends became enough to sustain their continued presence there. Thankfully, they were both gone for the night.

Tren sidled in first to the tomb, followed by Indy, Han, Bao, and Igrayne. As the huge doorway closed, emitting no more light, they were left in creeping darkness.

Igrayne lighted her saber to guide the way.

"I'll take it if you want," Tren said, extending his hand from his position at the head of the group. Igrayne immediately snatched the saber back before he had a chance to relieve her of it.

"No, _thank you_," she said. She gave it the necessary amount of bitterness to get her point across to Tren. He was sharp; he understood now that a Jedi was never parted from their weapon, and dropped his hand accordingly.

Bao also retrieved his saber and ignited it to double the light. It was better than trying to fumble their way about blindly in the darkness. There were no wall sconces, or else, Tren might've found tools enough to set something ablaze and mount it on the wall for viewing distances.

"Where to first?" Han asked, his resonant voice capturing Indy's attention for what seemed the first time in the past few hours. She was too wrapped up in this Tren guy for her to even have noticed anything he said. He didn't like that.

"This way," Indy said, her voice trembling with anticipation. She knew this tomb without having ever traveled through it. She'd studied the records and committed them to memory so that now, recalling them was like remembering the back of her hand. It was beyond effortless. She prepped for the long walk down the lone corridor that broke off into a separate chamber at the center. Once the group stepped into the chamber, they looked around. There were four other equidistant passageways surrounding them—including the one from which they had just come.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Han muttered under his breath, casting his eyes all around. He'd traveled the lanes long enough to know that five loners in a deserted tomb were not long for this world.

"I...think I'm lost," Indy admitted shamefully. Tren's expression betrayed his absolute horror.

"What?"

"It was either left...or right."

"Well, that certainly leaves a whole lot of options left!" Tren said with exasperation.

"One leads to the tomb in which the artifact is hidden, and the other leads to..."

"Let me guess, certain death?" Tren assumed. Indy's eyes glazed over.

"No, terentateks. Naga Sadow gave very precise instructions that his tomb was to be guarded after his death."

"There's no telling if the creatures are even alive after all these years," Bao interrupted gently, holding his saber out from his body to further project the light down the deserted, crumbling passageways of the tomb.

"Oh, they're alive, all right," Indy replied. "It's just a matter of... finding the artifact...before _they_ find _us_."

Tren groaned. "There's a pleasant thought."

"Enough with the sarcasm, please. I can't think," Indy said, rubbing her temples to better recall her teachings. Everyone was on edge from Indy's sudden, unprecedented admission.

While the others were arguing, Igrayne smiled sheepishly at Bao-Dur. He had been quiet the whole time. She couldn't help but wonder what thoughts rushed through that mind of his, if any. If she were to guess correctly, he was probably thinking about tinkering with his remote, or making some adjustment on the _Blade_ upon his return.

"All this arguing is not conducive to our purposes of finding the artifact," Bao-Dur spoke up suddenly to break up the haggling. Indy stopped glaring at Tren long enough to throw back a retort.

"Stay out of this, Zabrak."

Igrayne and Bao walked further up the one passageway to rid themselves of the others' pesky presences. Their arguing was growing considerably louder by the minute, which gave Igrayne a blistering headache. She lifted a hand to her head, groaning a little.

Bao-Dur's hand strayed to her shoulder, drawing her from her reverie.

"General...are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said tritely, blinking back tears. Something was wrong... in the Force. She could sense it, but she didn't know if Bao had. He seemed too preoccupied with the others to even have listened.

"It's just a headache," she added. This prompted Bao-Dur to withdraw his hand carefully, gripping it around the cylindrical base of the saber once more.

"Perhaps you should rest," he said quietly. Even after what had occured between them, he was still very solicitous to her needs. She was touched by that.

"No. We must press on. Night's falling, and I don't want to be in here any longer than we have to." She sidled up against one of the loose stones in the wall, balancing on one leg. "I want to just nab Indy's artifact and leave."

"That would be the easiest way of going about it," Bao-Dur said.

What had that meant?

"What, are you saying—that I choose the path of least resistance?"

"General." Bao-Dur's voice had changed in tone and pitch, taking on an almost contrite sound. "I never said you were looking for a way that was easy..."

For unknown reasons, Igrayne suddenly snapped. She just felt herself losing control, throwing all of Vrook's teachings out the window--and what was worse, it felt incredibly liberating.

"Right, Bao, because offering myself to you was _so_ easy."

The zabrak's head flipped instinctively toward the others, who were still arguing halfway down the passageway. They hadn't heard--or appeared to.

"General," he began quietly, resuming his usual monotonic drawl, "If I accepted a term such as that, who knows what consequences might follow?"

"You're right. At least one of us is thinking with our head," she said contemptuously.

Human women were very hard to figure out. They were temperamental, and they seemed to exhibit mood changes as often as the rise and fall of the Corellian moon. Bao-Dur couldn't quite understand it, with his limited capacity for comprehending human emotion. Perhaps it had something to do with her inner cycle. Human women were a lot more likely to become irascible when that was occuring, or so he'd been told.

"Now, wait a minute!" Bao-Dur said, reaching out to grab her arm. Igrayne pried herself free of his iron grip, wanting to slap him for this bold move.

"Let me go!"

"No," Bao-Dur said, crossing his saber in her path, "You're not leaving until we've talked about this."

"Do you really want to start a scene here with the others?" Igrayne asked, motioning toward the harried-looking figures standing only a few paces off. Bao-Dur nodded accordingly.

"Well, when you've calmed down sufficiently, we can talk about it."

"Or not," Igrayne huffed, storming away from him to join the others. The argument had not progressed much since her absence. Now they were on some nonsensical topic such as Han's propensity to not shower. Obviously, this must have been a topic first broached by Tren.

"Are we going to stand here and talk all day or are we going to see some action?" Igrayne asked, trying to control her voice from trembling with sadness.

"Well, Tren here seems to have other designs in mind!" Indy claimed, which earned her a protest from Tren.

All of their useless meanderings were suddenly, frighteningly halted, when from out of the pit of one of the chambers, a deathly roar emerged. It shook all the way down to their bones, resonating fully throughout the passageway. Indy looked around tentatively.

"Well, I guess that solves the problems of where the terentateks are."

"Naga Sadow wouldn't have left his most precious treasure unguarded, think about it," Trentyn said, directing her attention toward the accursed chamber standing adjacent to them. "We should fight our way through and search for the artifact."

"Are you crazy?" Han asked.

"Scared?" Tren challenged.

"I don't have a death wish," Han said, prodding him forcefully in the chest. He stood a whole head taller than him, but that didn't intimidate Tren in any way, as Han had intended.

"Look, can't we just search the other tomb first?" Han asked.

"It's probably booby-trapped," Indy replied, recalling the details of Naga Sadow's tomb. "He's been known to be... thorough with all his funerary dealings."

"Well, that settles it. Let's head for the terentateks. At least we know what we're up against."

"Tren's right," Indy decided, taking a bold step in the direction of the corridor off-shooting the main passageway. Han grabbed hold of her arm and spun her about so he was face to face with her.

"Wait just a minute, _Rheya_," he said, using the name he had heard some of the other students call her. Indy suddenly felt very foolish.

"Are you coming or not?" she replied in barely a whisper.

A long pause punctuated his response.

"All right," Han replied, "but I'm only doing this for you."

"Fine."

With that, they set off toward the terentateks' lair, each equipping a weapon with which to defend themselves from the attack that was sure to follow.

--------------

The only sound disturbing the unearthly silence of the room was Carth's steady breathing. Mical had suggested that Carth should stay in the room he shared with Rani. It was more spacious, if only barely, than the medbay, and although the injuries to his face looked terrible, they were not serious. As Carth slept, Rani lounged across the room in a plush chair. She tried to keep her mind empty, in a kind of meditative state. It was the only way that she could keep what little peace she had left. Even the oblivion of sleep was not gifted to her. Every time she dozed, memories of the past weeks would accost her mind. Her life had never been particularly easy, but she had seen and experienced more heartbreak and pain in the recent past than she had her entire life.

Rani's newest nightmare had been the replaying of events in Dustil's room; Carth being mercilessly beat at the order of his own son, and Rani slaying the two Sith recruits. Rani knew that what she did, she did out of necessity. She and Carth would have surely been killed if they had been caught in the Academy. However, this did not change the fact that guilt lingered around Rani. She had never even purposely injured someone before, let alone killed someone.

Rani's eyes were set on Carth. The swelling in his face had already gone down considerably, thanks to Mical's expertise. But the pain had kept Carth up most of the night, and he did not finally fall asleep until the others left to meet Trentyn. Rani had been greatly relieved when Mical had informed her that Carth would be almost back to normal in a couple days, but at the same time, she dreaded his return to health. Carth had told her last night, that as soon as he appeared normal enough not to garner too much attention, he would go to Dustil again. This statement had not surprised Rani as much as she thought it should have. She did realize however, that Carth would do anything to get his son back, just as Rani would never stop trying to turn her brother from the Sith.

_But Tren and Dustil are very different. Trentyn would never hurt me, but Dustil…his motives and behavior are much harder to predict. He has already hurt Carth so much, what is next? _Rani thought.

The tension between Rani and Carth was killing her. He had not said anything about the betrayal he felt due to Rani not telling him about her brother and his association with the Sith. Rani wondered if this was because he was too upset with her, or because his mind was beleaguered with thoughts of his son.

--------------

Evy busied herself with changing the linens on the bed in the medbay while Atton sat behind her in a chair, surveying her figure. His leg was doing considerably better, but he still needed a lot of help with simple tasks. Ever since Atton's delirious admissions and the cool shower that quickly turned hot, Evy's mind was absorbed with wondering what Atton's true feelings towards her were. After she finished her task, she swiveled around and sat on the bed.

"Atton!"

His eyes shot to her face from their original resting place on her chest. Observing this, she meant to comment, but thought better of it. Instead, she decided to try and coax the truth out of Atton about his feelings towards her, without being too direct. Things were getting more familiar between them due to their forced proximity and Atton's dependence on her, but there was still an air of discomfiture due to their encounter in the shower.

"Did you know that you talked a lot while you were feverish?" she began, trying to sound casual.

"Did I?" Atton replied with the same casual effort.

"Turns out my chest is not the only place you've been looking…" Evy couldn't resist bringing it up, and besides, it would lighten the mood.

"What can I say?" Atton said, raising his hands in admission. "Guilty as charged." He smiled, and Evy felt her pulse quicken slightly.

"You know, I'm more than just a body," she said, trying to lead into deeper conversation.

"That's true, you do have a pretty face besides the rocking body," he said while shrugging, obviously avoiding her attempt to get more serious.

"You're impossible!" she said in frustration.

"What? I'm just letting you know how much I appreciate your good qualities," Atton stated, looking as devious as ever.

"And you think that's all I need?" Evy quickly regretted the direct question.

"Man, what did I say when I was crazy with fever to bring all this up!"

"Nothing. Forget it," she said, secretly hoping he would insist they talk. He didn't.

"That's it? You are just not going to say anything!" she continued. Evy knew that she was playing a mind game of sorts, but she also knew that if she didn't, Atton would just worm his way out of the situation just like he did with all situations that were uncomfortable to him. She turned her back to him, trying to fight back tears.

_Why do I even feel this way about him?_

"You are a beautiful and amazing woman, so I won't lead you on," Atton began in a serious tone, much to her surprise, "I gave up love a long time ago."

Evy remembered some of Atton's words while he was delirious. _You, you know I have to…I must kill him…betray…I needed her…_

"Who was she?" Evy asked turning to face him and not expecting him to answer.

"She betrayed me, ok! She made me do it. I never thought that she would go behind my back and—" Atton stopped suddenly, feeling like he had already revealed too much.

Evy stayed silent, hoping that he would keep going, but there was such a wild and pained look in his eyes that she was scared of what she might find out.

Atton's emotional wall was back up when he finally started talking again.

"I don't ask you about that lightsaber of yours or why you are so damn attached to it. You act like it's your damn lover or something." His voice was cruel, and he seemed as if he wanted to punish her for causing him to talk about his past.

Atton's words stung, but she controlled her emotions. The both of them angry would not result in anything good. 

"I'm sorry, Atton. If that's how you want things to be, then I'm sorry I asked," she said, then turned to some other meaningless chore to guard her heart and mind from the scoundrel.

--------------

Carina needed to get out of the _Centurion's Blade_. It was hot and stuffy in there, and no one seemed to be in a good mood. Carina didn't blame them, much had happened to everyone. Plus, she needed some time away from Mical. A few times in the still of the night, she had contemplated going to Mical. Things were going better for her, but she knew she wasn't ready to be with Mical yet. He was currently resting in his room. She had already told him that she was going out for a walk. Mical hadn't looked pleased with it, but he knew better than to argue with her when she had that expression on her face.

She stepped out of the ship, just as the sun was starting to set. Korriban was not the most beautiful of planets, but the colors of the sky were a welcome sight to Carina. She walked toward the cantina slowly, contemplating grabbing a drink, but two figures out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she silently fled to the nearby shadows. She backed up against the outside wall of a building, and heard two soft voices just around the corner from her. Carina crept as close to that corner as she dared, hoping that she would be able to make out their conversation. The two were obviously trying to have a secretive conversation, and Carina listened carefully.

"I think it is a cover up," a deep masculine voice said.

"Why?" a softer feminine voice asked.

"Mekel might have been a jerk, but he and Lashowe were still friends. They wouldn't just kill each other."

"It could happen," the girl countered.

"Maybe, but how did they both kill _each other_? It makes no sense. And what is the motive for them fighting?"

"Well, you know Mekel, he was always trying to get in Lashowe's pants. Maybe he just went too far."

The man scoffed. "That's a little bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"Well, Selene and Shaardan haven't said anything about it. They are as shocked by what happened as the rest of the recruits. And Dustil was in the room, too, right before Lashowe and Mekel killed each other. If there was some sort of cover up, don't you think he would know about it?"

"Dustil is Master Destrik's little pet. He could get Dustil to do anything…"

"I hope you are not suggesting that Master Destrik played a role in this. You know you could be thrown out of the Sith, or worse, for saying such things about him," the woman said.

There was a pause in the conversation, and Carina hoped that the pair wouldn't come walking around the corner to find her. Her worry was broken by the woman's voice.

"Look, Mekel and Lashowe fought and killed each other. There is nothing more to it. Recruits have killed each other many times in the past. There isn't anything strange about it, so you should stop spouting this nonsense before you get yourself in trouble…"

Carina had heard enough, and she walked away from the building, lost in thought. As soon as Carina had heard about how Rani killed the two recruits, she had worried about what kind of an uproar it might cause in the academy. Now she knew why Sith hadn't come running to search the planet for them. This meant that Destrik knew that Carth and Rani were on the planet, since Dustil had undoubtedly told him.

_But why doesn't Destrik just come get Rani and Carth? What is he waiting for? What kind of a game is he playing? _Carina thought, frightened by the prospect.


	23. The Book of Death and the Crew Reunited

Indy motioned them all to stop, and they did. They had realized that booby traps, puzzles, and tombs in general were her game, so most of them followed her orders.

Except Han. He seemed _very_ protective lately.

They were standing in front of a doorway that led into a large room. The growling coming from it clearly told them that this was the place where they'd find the Terentateks.

Creeping up to the doorway, Indy managed somehow to get a good look at the creatures. She snuck back quickly, her expression grave.

"There's two nasty buggers the both of 'em. Huge claws, teeth." Indy made motions with her hands. Several groans could be heard.

"Way to go in building morale," Tren muttered, and Indy ignored him.

"If we manage to lure them into the hallway, then only one can come at us, since they're too big to get past each other. Those with blasters stay back and fire, while the lightsaber wielders get in close in a hit and run method. Getting swiped by one of those claws will hurt, so the key is to stay out of the way." 

When Indy had made sure they all knew the plan, she ran headfirst into the room before anyone could stop her. Gesturing wildly and yelling at them, she managed to easily get their attention. The steady rumbling told them all that the beasts were on the move.

Running back towards them, they saw the Terentateks follow suit. They all were nervous, since the creatures were known to be extremely resistant against attacks.

As Indy ran past Igrayne, Bao, and Tren they all ignited their sabers and stood ready. Indy and Han drew their blasters, and as the first Terentatek entered the hallway, they attacked.

The first beast they defeated with a large amount of luck. The people up close got nicked by a claw a few times, nothing serious, but the second one was harder. They were already tired from the first Terentatek, and their energy was depleting.

Igrayne got up close to the beast, and as she attempted to deliver a fatal blow, its large clawed hand hit her in the chest. She was sent flying into the solid rock wall, and she collapsed on the ground. The blow had stolen her breath, and she was struggling to regain it.

The beast roared in anger and raised its claws to attack, aiming to kill.

But before the deadly blow reached its target, Bao-Dur's lightsaber came down upon the claws and cut the hand clean off. The hand fell and the beast roared in pain. It was quickly silenced as Tren, Indy, and Han concentrated on killing it.

When the beast let out its final breath, Bao helped Igrayne up. As the others ran over, Bao checked her over for injuries. She had several broken ribs and was still trying to regain her breath.

"Bao, stay here with Igrayne. We'll finish this," Indy ordered. Bao-Dur nodded solemnly as the three others walked away.

They quickly walked across the large room where the Terentateks had been and entered another hallway. They all were silent as Indy walked on, her eyes skimming over the glyphs carved onto the walls.

Soon, they came to another trap of some sort. There was a darkness that cloaked the rest of their way. Irregular lights skimmed through it at times, but it was mostly just a dull black color.

"Tren, you know what this is." It was not a question, it was a statement. Tren nodded slowly.

"It's a large source of dark side power. It would be better if I went on and you two stayed here," he suggested, but Indy shook her head.

"You two stay here, I'll go," she said firmly.

"Wait, no, Rheya! You don't know what's in there!" Tren protested.

She looked at him with an irritated expression. "And _you_ don't know what's beyond."

"Indy, it's dangerous!" Han protested, siding with Tren. Indy glared at the both of them.

"I'll take my chances, then," she said, and before they could do anything, walked into the black mist.

When she entered, a sudden coldness gripped her, and she could feel unwanted emotions beginning to stir inside of her. An unfamiliar voice suggested something into her ear, whispering quietly. It was asking her to betray the crew, for with the item she was seeking, she would be unstoppable.

She reasoned with herself. She didn't want the power of the item; she just wanted to protect it. She didn't want to be unstoppable; she wanted the necessary things in life. She wanted a life without troubles and she guessed a small part of her was longing for…love, even if she didn't want to openly admit it.

The voice yelled with anger in an unintelligible language. She recognized bits and pieces as the language of the true Sith, and her head erupted in a blossom of pain. Gasping she fell to her knees and gripped her head. She let out a suppressed scream.

A startled voice broke through the waves of pain that she was experiencing.

"Indy! What's going on!" She recognized Han's voice, and realized she had to come to her senses and get to the other side.

Standing up, she started running. The pain lessened, but now she could feel small jolts of pain erupting around her body, as if razor sharp claws were cutting into her flesh.

She felt the pain fade as the darkness faded, and was replaced with an eerie purple light.

Rubbing her eyes she looked around, she was in some sort of chamber, and in the middle, there was an altar, the source of the purple light.

"The Book of Death." She muttered quietly, as her eyes widened, and she slowly stepped up to the altar.

Carefully she ran a hand down the cover of the ancient book. The worn leather felt cold to the touch.

Giving a heavy sigh, she wrapped her fingers around the sides of the book, and picked it up. Carefully she investigated the whole book.

As she looked at the cover more closely, she realized with a groan that the void in the cover fit perfectly with the shape of the accursed crystal that Destrik had.

"The crystal must be the key to opening the book…" she mused as she noted the solid lock that kept the book shut.

"Sithspit," she cursed.

Wanting to deliver the news to the others, she stuffed the book in her bag, which she then slung over her shoulder. Not particularly excited about the fact of going through the black void again, she turned and promptly raised an eyebrow as she saw that there was no black void.

"I hate the Force," she muttered with a scowl and ran forward. As soon as she reached Tren and Han, she looked behind her. Now the black void was there again.

Ignoring the small detail, she turned to the others.

"I've got it. Let's meet up with Igrayne and Bao."

She was about to walk when Han stopped her.

"How'd that happen?" She looked at him, confused.

"How'd what happen?" she asked.

"Those cuts," Tren said and pointed at her. She looked down and saw that her whole body was covered in small cuts—so it hadn't been one of those fancy illusions.

Waving the matter away, she dismissed their questions. "Never mind that, let's get to Igrayne and Bao."

They silently followed her.

When they returned, Igrayne was back on her feet, and Indy addressed the matter at hand.

"We need the crystal," she stated. They all looked at her. "What?"

Igrayne raised a confused eyebrow.

Pulling out the book, Indy pointed at the cover. "The crystal is the key to opening the Book of Death."

Igrayne and the others blinked stupidly. "Opening what?"

" The Book of Death," she explained.

"Why would _anyone_ want to open that? It's clear by the title that it's the Book of Death, as you said, and isn't death usually a _bad_ thing?" Han said skeptically.

"It's not going to cause death unless someone who can read the text starts doing one of the rituals. There's a counter to this book, too, called the Book of Life. This book is the key to getting the Book of Life, and believe me, we need to get to that other book first, because if the Sith get it, they'll start resurrecting long-dead Sith Lords. Guess what that'll do to the galaxy?"

"So there's two of these books, one life and one death, and you're saying that to get the one about life, we need to _use_ this book?" Igrayne frowned. This sounded very risky.

"Some years ago, I was reading some ancient texts about these books. That's how the Sith learned about them. Those texts said, and I quote, 'To reach the source of life, one must travel the path of the valley of death.' It's obvious that just killing yourself wont get you to the second book, so I'm convinced that in this book there's a ritual that can transport one to this 'valley of death' by killing the one who wants to get the other book. Anything beyond that, I don't know. Apparently no one has tried getting the other book yet."

"You're telling us that one of us has to get killed by some ritual so they can get a book?" Han said, his voice dripping with skepticism.

"Not one of us, _me_. I'm getting that book even if it costs me my life. I'm not letting the Sith have it!" Indy said with conviction.

When several tried to protest, Indy held up her hand, asking for them to shut up. "Can you hear that?"

Silence reigned as they listened. They heard nothing but the wind.

"It's nothing, just the wind," Igrayne commented.

"Exactly," Indy said with a scowl at no one in particular. "We sealed the door, and tombs don't have wind coming through them. Someone's opened it, and I have a feeling that someone isn't friendly."

Everyone fell silent as Indy hurried to pull the book out, carefully placing it in a hole in the wall. She covered the hole with some rocks and pulled out another book, smaller and probably lighter than the first. It looked like a completely ordinary book, and the title said "A Guide to Corellia." it was an informational guide about the planet of Corellia.

"What are you doing?" Tren questioned.

"I'm making a decoy. No one out there knows what the book looks like or its size, so unless they actually look properly—which they won't, believe me—they won't notice it's the wrong book," Indy answered.

She quickly wrapped a dirty cloth around the book and stuffed it into her bag.

"Come on, let's greet the visitors," she said with a hint of irritation.

When they arrived at the entrance they saw that it indeed was open, and outside the unwelcome sight of Destrik met their eyes.

"What do you want?" Indy shouted at him from a distance.

"Give me the book!" he yelled back.

"Okay, if you give me that fancy crystal of yours!" she suggested with a nonchalant air.

"Why should I do that?" he asked with a laugh.

"Come on, you know you've got us trapped. It's not like I can run into the tomb again with it. That's a dead end," she stated, and added, "I'll promise I'll give it back to you… please?" She said the last part with a sickening sweet tone.

Destrik only laughed more.

"If you're so insistent." He took the crystal out of his pocked and threw it over; Indy caught it and threw the decoy at him.

"That's interesting," she shouted again.

"What?" Destrik looked at her quizzically.

"This stone is telling me something…" she trailed off as Destrik yelled over impatiently.

"What is it telling you?"

"It's telling me…that you're a guerfel." As the words escaped her lips, she yanked at some sort of lever that she had slowly moved towards.

The door sealed off, and Indy quickly drew her blaster and shot at some unseen spot above the door. Rocks started falling, and as they all retreated, they could hear Destrik's outraged cries.

"Are you _crazy_!" Tren and Han both yelled.

"No, just incredibly smart," she said with a cocky grin. "Did you really think I'd lock myself in a tomb with no way to get out?"

Realizing the truth of her words, they all fell silent. Setting off at a run, they arrived at the hiding place of the real book. After Indy had picked it up and stuffed it into her bag, they headed for the Terentatek room.

"Could I borrow that?" Indy asked and pointed at Igrayne's saber. Nodding, Igrayne handed the weapon to Indy and they all realized that Indy had left neglected to tell them something about the tomb when she started cutting away part of the stone wall.

She was soon finished, and a fresh burst of wind hit them right in the face. It was brittle and dry, but it was a clear sign that this was a way out.

Handing the saber back to Igrayne, Indy crawled into the hole, and the others followed. Soon they were outside of the tomb, on the other side of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Darkness had fallen and they could see the blinking lights of Dreshdae right in front of them.

"Our path is clear, everyone from the Sith academy is sleeping." Turning to Tren, Indy fixed him with a glare. "And you will be coming with us. I don't trust you enough to not go running, squealing to your masters about this."

Trent was about to protest when the butt of Han's blaster met with the back of his head, and it was lights out for the brother of Rani.

They picked his limp body up and started carrying him to their destination. They would have to haul jets immediately when they reached the _Blade_.

-------------

As Carina approached the _Centurion's Blade_ back from her long walk, she heard someone call out her name.

"Carina! Help us out here would ya?" Indy called.

Carina turned to see a very breathless and pained-looking Igrayne practically being carried by Bao-Dur and Han carrying Trentyn, who appeared to be knocked out, over his shoulder. Indy also appeared to be slightly injured, with tiny, slightly bleeding cuts all over her body.

Seeing the group so frantic, Carina quickly opened the entrance hatch.

Once inside the ship, Han unceremoniously dumped Trentyn onto one of the chairs. Indy gave Han a stern look, but decided not to say anything. They needed to get off of Korriban and fast!

Indy slid into the pilot's seat, her fingers deftly working the controls to start the pre-takeoff sequence.

Igrayne ignored the throbbing pain in her chest as she hurried to warn the others to get secured for takeoff. She burst in the medbay to find a visibly upset Evy and a brooding Atton.

"Just a warning, especially for you Atton, we are taking off shortly and it might get bumpy. Prepare yourselves."

That snapped both Evy and Atton out of their dark moods.

"What happened!" Evy said, looking alarmed.

"No time to explain now, but we may have an angry Destrik on our heels!" Igrayne shouted as the engines roared up.

Carina had run to the dorm that Mical was in, only to find him awake and rushing toward the medbay make sure Atton was okay and to make sure that all his medical supplies were safely stowed.

In another part of the ship, Carth sat up suddenly in the bed as the engines roared to life, and a startled Rani jumped out of the chair she was dozing in.

Right then, an insistent knock sounded at the door, and Rani opened it to find Bao-Dur there.

"We have a problem, and we are going to have to depart Korriban now."

"What? No! I'm not leaving this planet without my son," Carth stated with finality.

"Why? What's wrong?" Rani asked Bao-Dur while reaching out to Carth to calm him down.

"We found something important in the tomb that Destrik wants," Bao-Dur answered.

"What could be more important than my son? We came to this damned planet for him, and we sure as hell aren't leaving without him!" Carth's anger was building.

"I'm sorry, Admiral, we must go now," Bao-Dur replied, expressing genuine sympathy.

"Like hell we will!" Carth answered, pushing past both Rani and Bao.

In the cockpit, Han slipped into the copilot's chair.

Indy gave him a glance before asking about Trentyn.

"Is he all right?"

"Why are you always so worried about him?" Han asked, jealousy apparent in his face. 

Indy found herself pleased by this.

"Well, you didn't have to hit him _that_ hard," she said.

"I had to! The guy seemed to me like he'd have a very hard head."

Indy stifled a laugh as she checked the gauges.

"We are almost ready for takeoff."

Just then a fuming Carth followed by a concerned Rani and Bao-Dur, burst into the main hold.

Carth saw Trentyn slouched in a chair, and it fueled his anger.

"What is _he_ doing here!" Carth demanded.

Rani was as surprised as Carth was to find her brother on the ship. She noticed that he was unconscious, so she bent over him to see if he was ok.

Just as Carth looked like he was about to ask another angry question, the ship lifted off the ground, and speed off so quickly that Carth, Rani, and Bao were all thrown off of their feet.

"Easy there," Han cautioned in the cockpit as Indy steered.

"I need to get us off of here and out of their scopes before they engage their anti-spacecraft weapons," Indy said, defending her rough takeoff.

Bao-Dur had managed to grab Rani so that she wasn't thrown against the back wall, but Carth and Tren didn't fare quite as well. The now awake Tren found himself splayed on top of a face-down and very angry Carth.

"Where am I?" Trentyn asked groggily.

With much visible restraint on his part, Carth managed not to throw Tren off him as he got up.

No one bothered to answer Tren, with the enraged Carth looking like he was going to pop a vein on his bruised forehead.

Rani spoke first, approaching Carth slowly and speaking in a soothing voice.

"It's ok, we'll get Dustil. We know that he is alive now, and where he is… it's only a matter of time before we can get him to come back to you."

"What do you care?" Carth said, no longer yelling, but his voice now a growl, "somehow, they had the time to get your precious Sith brother."

"Carth I understand you are upset, but—"

"_Upset?_ You think I am just upset? My son, the last thing in this galaxy that means anything to me anymore, is still on that planet."

Rani felt a stab through her heart at the harsh words Carth had directed at her.

_So much for loving me…_ she thought bitterly.

Despite the way he was making her feel, she still attempted to calm Carth.

"We'll get Dustil…" she said lamely.

Carth scoffed, "Don't act like you actually care, Rani." He was taking out all of his anger on her. "Like I said, here is your traitor brother who you, by the way, conveniently never found the time to tell me about."

"I wanted to, so many times, but I just couldn't…" Rani said, beginning to lose control of her emotions.

By this time, the rest of the crew, except for Indy and Han who were still in the cockpit, had gathered in the main hold, transfixed by the emotional scene going on in front of them.

Rani and Carth were so involved in their argument that they failed to notice the others. 

"Yeah, I'm sure you were going to tell me," Carth said sarcastically.

Rani realized that the anger about leaving Dustil was opening up the floodgates to all the other things he was upset about. This realization did not help to lessen the pain.

"So now you've got your brother back, you gonna go kiss again Destrik to try and turn him? Since you can't seem to give up on him for some fracking reason."

"Enough!" the now aware Tren shouted. "You have no right to take your anger out on my sister!"

"Stay out of it, _Sith_!" Carth shot back.

Both men approached each other, fists balled at their sides.

"At least _I_ don't go around abusing an innocent woman's feelings, _Republic_!"

Bao-Dur swiftly stepped in between the men, deciding that he had stood quiet for too long.

"Admiral," Bao began, his voice still soft despite the circumstances, "calm down and conduct yourself in a way fitting of your rank."

Carth had already begun to look guilty after Tren's last statement, but Bao-Dur's words increased the feeling.

---------------

Indy punched in the hyperspace coordinates, and the ship lurched into hyperspace. She had picked randomly from the navicomputer, and it appeared that she had picked Dantooine. She shrugged. They might find some information about the book there.

Smiling slightly at Han, she walked out of the cockpit and into the main hold. She had heard Carth yelling and knew that he was angry about Dustil and the fact that Trentyn was onboard.

When she entered, Carth was about to say something, probably something rude, to Tren.

"Shut up, _Admiral_." She said the title with a sneer. She did not like his attitude right now.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"I'm sick of your little revenge plots and your whining. There's something more important right now than your son or _you_ for that matter. Stop being a selfish bastard and think about the galaxy!"

Carth cast his gaze downwards in shame.

"I was planning on telling you what's been going on since you got beat up, but I need a shower." She paused, a small smile covering her lips.

"Trentyn, why don't _you_ explain?"

Igrayne, Bao and Han all nodded in a silent agreement that they would let Tren explain it all.

Trentyn's face registered his surprise. He had several angry faces looking to him for an explanation. Scouring his mind for some smart-alec remark wouldn't work. On a ship like this, he might get pummeled to death for his sarcasm.

"Well, since you all want me to bring the Admiral up to speed, I'll humor you this once."

"You can humor us by leaving," Carth mumbled through his swollen lip, causing the words to sound garbled and distorted.

"Oh, Force, I give up! I've tried to reason with you!" Tren said, stalking off toward the dormitory 'fresher to relieve himself of the others. Carth narrowed his eyes angrily at Rani as he walked up to her and took her forcibly by the wrist.

"Were you planning to backstab me this whole time?"

Rani shook her head furiously, her golden-highlighted curls bouncing in response.

"No, Carth!"

"I'm sick of your lies. I've had enough talking for one day," Carth said, departing in the opposite direction toward the port dormitory. Rani knew he was headed for some exercise. She'd seen him work out his excess energy several times whenever they were up against certain difficulties—and losing his son twice was definately one of them.

Rani held her face over both ears, trying to drown out the voices all around her. Their commentary was, no doubt, directed toward the source of the problem: Carth's apparent aversion to her brother, Tren.

She walked away and sat down on one of the plush couches.

"That went well," Carina said out loud. Everyone looked at her quizzically.

"What?" she asked with a shrug. Mical, who was perched behind her, leaned down and whispered into her ear,

"I'm headed to the medlab. I'll be with you shortly."

His hand lingered on her own in a distinctly loving touch. It had not escaped the notice of Igrayne, who watched the doctor leave to go tend Atton—who had once again been relegated to his medical cot.

"Where to?" Igrayne called up to the cockpit.

"Dantooine," a harried voice called back, as Han plotted his trajectory for the far-off planet.

Igrayne closed her eyes as the words began to seep in. She was returning home...to a homecoming, of sorts. Vrook would be awaiting her and Bao on their arrival. She could feel it. She didn't want to bring any danger to the Jedi Enclave, nor did she want to plead with Han to turn the _Blade _back on her plotted course. She was at a loss with what to do, so she sulked through the main hold and into the garage, where she knew she would find Bao-Dur. He was always there.


	24. Evy's Confession and Garage Encounter

"Ouch! Would you stop that?" Atton howled as Mical administered the last of his medication and the added bonus of a vaccination to stave off infection in the wound. Mical had on gloves as he poked and prodded a little at the wound and applied a salve to calm the angry-looking wound. Atton was doing all that he could just to not punch Mical in the face.

"Calm down," Evy said, patting his hand to try and distract him. Atton was not so easily fooled, however. He groaned as the ointment was absorbed into the wound, stinging nearly as bad as the wound itself.

"Force!" Atton said, the flesh on his knuckles colored white as he clamped down both hands onto the bed beneath him. Mical cleansed the superfluous ointment around the wound, then tied gauze onto it to keep it free of infection.

"There. That should hold for another few days or so," Mical said pleasantly, turning to a chrome-colored sink to wash off his hands.

"Few days? Are you kidding me?" Atton groaned. Mical picked off his gloves, one by one, and threw them into a sterile trash receptacle.

"Just try not to exert yourself anymore than you have to, given our tenuous situation," Mical said, indicating the buzzing engines with a nod of the head. He excused himself and left, palming the keypad to close the door behind him.

"Should be easy with a bunch of Sith on our tail!" Atton screamed after him, though his comment fell on deaf ears. Evy rolled her eyes and went about straightening the room.

"Can you believe that guy?" Atton asked, propping himself up on his elbows. His jaw was set, his mouth protruding in an ugly scowl.

Evy got a damp cloth and began dabbing at Atton's forehead to clear away some of the sweat that had accumulated there from his rather unpleasant episode. As soon as he'd seen the three-inch long needle, he'd blanched and gone into a fit.

"That guy saved your life. The most you could give him is a 'thank you' or something."

Atton snatched the cloth from her and began wiping it under his neck as though he were prepping for a shave.

"Right, 'cause I'm really going to thank the guy that's jabbing me with needles."

"Oh, for Force's sakes, hold still!" Evy commanded, tearing the cloth away from him, dabbing a little more furiously at his brow. She was only half-conscious of what she was doing, so it was when Atton elicited a tiny noise of pain that she stopped immediately and looked into his eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"When you're not hurting me, yeah."

"Oh, grow up, will you?"

She cast the cloth down in exasperation, where it fell in his lap. Atton's gaze drifted downward, still on the cloth.

"At this point I really don't care about that. I care about us not getting blasted out of the sky in time to see you recuperate."

Atton ran a hand through his slick hair.

"Got a point there, sweets."

Evy resumed sitting, letting her hand rub Atton's good leg. She could feel goosebumps prickling his skin underneath her touch. It was undeniable proof that he was enjoying it, though he didn't either confirm or deny it verbally. Her eyes drifted along his leg and up a little--to other, more prominent confirmation of this fact.

Evy blushed a flattering shade of red and cast her eyes aside, hoping Atton hadn't just seen her. Apparently, he hadn't, because he laid back in bed and folded both hands over his abominal area.

Evy kept her eyes trained on the IV machine. Anything...anywhere...just not at Atton. She was so embarrassed, she just wanted to crawl in the 'fresher and die. But from the looks of things, Atton hadn't even noticed her shame.

"So, tell me why you carry that thing anyway? What's so damn important about it that you have to take it everywhere?" he queried, looking up at the ceiling panels as they rocked in rhythm with the ship. Whatever Han was doing up in the cockpit, it wasn't making for a smooth flight.

Evy's hand clasped the cylindrical hilt of her lightsaber. She'd half a mind to dismiss his question, but another, louder voice inside of her overruled that. She unhooked it from her belt and flattened her palms to become a bed for the saber.

"It belonged to Jeran."

"Jeran?" His head propped up a little, as did his eyebrows. He seemed mildly interested, for the first time, in something other than her chest.

"My...lover." She nearly choked out the word, but she had forced herself to say it. _There was no turning back now. Atton had to know the truth—the full truth_.

"Well," Atton said, sitting a little straighter as he laced both hands together over his stomach. "There's something you conveniently left out the last time I heard your life story."

Evy glared daggers at him for a moment, just to remind him to be serious. Atton took the hint, and fell understandably silent.

"_Dead_ lover," she corrected. It sounded strange for her to even say it, though deep down, she knew it was true. With the living reincarnation of Jeran sitting right before her, she had difficulty telling him next what happened.

"We met during the wars. He was a Jedi and I was a nurse."

Atton's grin widened from ear to ear.

"I've heard this one before. Nurse falls in love with student. Student falls in love with nurse. Happy ever after for everyone."

Evy's voice dropped to an inimitable whisper.

"_Obviously_ not. You know love like that can't last. It was a secret--he trained me, too, in secret. I was too old to be formally trained as a padawan, so he went against the Code...against the teachings of his Master...and trained me. We fought together in the wars. And I held him while he died, when he gave me this."

She bent her head in an almost prayer-like stance, holding up the lightsaber in both outstretched hands.

"I...I'm sorry," Atton said, though he wasn't sure he entirely meant it. He was grateful there wasn't Jeran to contend with, but at the same time, he hated seeing Evy so melancholy.

"It was my devotion to him that kept me going, but when he died, I had nothing else to do. I turned to the workforce, decided I'd help the Republic any way I could. My nursing skills were unparalleled, so that was the obvious choice."

"The safe choice," Atton interrupted, his dark eyes holding hers for a long time. A long pause punctuated their dialogue.

"Yes. The _safe_ choice," Evy admitted. Her lower lip was trembling by now, and her wide, watery eyes were beginning to dance with tears.

"But I don't want to choose safely anymore."

She took a step toward his tense, hard body, and the perfectly-sculpted chest she knew lay behind that shirt. She depicted an ease she didn't necessarily feel.

Her hand strayed to the hem of his shirt, silently imploring him to tug it off. Atton was more than happy to oblige her. He eased himself forward out of a sitting position, then lifted the shirt over his head and threw it aside, exposing his startingly frail frame and ribcage. He hadn't been eating well since becoming wounded. Perhaps it was due to Mical's excessive applications of medicinal ointments and vaccinations, but whatever it was had decreased Atton's appetite drastically.

Atton couldn't bear the anticipation. He closed the distance between them, capturing her mouth with his own, crushing her to him. His tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips, silently imploring entry. Evy silently endured his slow, drugging kiss with little complaint. She was shocked at her own eager response to the touch of his lips, and how her mind raced ahead of her to the only obvious end to this scenario...

She pushed him lightly back by the chest, delaying their gratification for a little longer. It took all the strength not to push him down right then and there.

"You are supposed to be recuperating," she whispered, handing him his shirt. Atton donned it grudgingly. As she watched him slip into his garments, her mind relived the velvet warmth of his kiss in full sensory detail.

"What I was doing. You're supposed to be helping me," Atton implied, grinning.

Evy leaned over, whispering in his earlobe,

"Rest, now."

Atton obeyed, letting her push him back in the cot before walking over to the wall and palming the light switch to dim the lighting in the room. Her form was silhouetted in the doorway as Atton lifted his head to watch her leave.

"Sleep well."

And with that, she entered the main hold.

---------------

Carth held his head in his hands, reminiscing over the day he had first held Dustil following Morgana's sixteen hours of hard labor. The baby was wan and sickly, but had enough fight in him to endure the medical attention. Morgana had absolutely refused to leave his side the whole time she was imprisoned in the medical facility, and so had Carth.

The day the doctors had delivered Dustil to him to take home was the happiest day of his life. He remembered those first tentative days when each was becoming accustomed to the other's presence. Dustil had been feisty even then, opening his eyes and craning his neck up as though he wanted to stand right away. And when Carth held the baby in his arms, he curled his littlest finger about Carth's pinky, holding on tightly.

Carth could feel all that slipping away. In place of the baby whom he'd loved so much, was an arrogant, angry young man who had all but sworn to destroy him. He couldn't fathom the depths to which Dustil had fallen while in the charge of the Sith, but he was certain that one day he would find his son and turn him. He had sworn to Morgana never to give up on him. He thought he'd broken his promise that day on Telos. But leaving when he knew Dustil was within arm's reach and in a grave amount of danger was worse than breaking his promise. It was tantamount to betrayal.

He rubbed a hand through his light brown hair, squaring his proud shoulders so as not to admit defeat. Was Dustil really beyond his help? There was only one way to find out...and that chance was being slowly stripped from them the further they grew from Korriban.

Light footsteps betrayed Rani's presence. She paused in the doorway.

"Are you all right?"

He wheeled back to her.

"I just need some time alone."

Rani walked in, the tensing of her jaw betraying her deep frustrations. She clamped her jaw tight and stared at the broken man before her. How could she even begin to tell him to abandon his son to some Sith institute? The whole idea seemed to go against every belief she ever held.

"I'm sorry about Dustil."

"There's nothing you can do about it," Carth said bitterly, fully acknowledging her powerlessness in this situation.

"I hope you believe that," she managed to reply through stiff lips.

"Of course, gorgeous." The warmth in his voice was almost disarming.

She went and sat down beside him. Contentedly, she rested against the warm lines of his body. As it was, Carth was cold and unresponsive to her touch.

"We'll find him," she said, "I promise you that. If we stayed...we'd all be dead. You'll help him more in the long run by leaving with us."

"I hope you're right," he said. Despite his sorrowful tone, his face was full of strength, shining with a steadfast and serene peace. He resolved to let the sound of Rani's voice revitalize his senses.

Rani's hand landed on Carth's arm, gently squeezing.

"He'll come around, Carth. He will. Right now, he can't see anything because he's too blinded by anger and hatred. Give it time." She spoke with quiet, but desperate, firmness.

"I...I just can't believe what he's become," he said with horror. He clenched his jaw to kill the sob in his throat. "I...I couldn't have fathomed it."

"There's no sense in dwelling on it," Rani whispered, "It won't help him. What you should be thinking about is some way to talk some sense into him."

"I've tried," Carth said desperately, making eye contact with her, "But he won't hear any of it. He's been brainwashed with Sith nonsense. I don't know if I can ever undo it."

"Well, not with that attitude you can't."

"You're right."

Rani's stomach was churning with anxiety and frustration.

"I'm sorry, Carth."

Her chest felt as though it would burst from that admission, but someone had to say it.

"No, I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to accuse you--I was foolish, and I admit it."

She giggled, and the tense lines on her face relaxed.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard."

Carth's mouth quirked in a smile.

"Don't make me throw you over my knee, gorgeous."

"Is that a promise?" Rani asked, mildly intrigued by that offer--or proposition.

Carth's eyes flew wide open, registering shock. His obvious confusion was out of tempo with the cool he usually projected.

"Oh no," Carth said, not skipping a beat, "I'm not even going there, sister."

_Darn_, Rani though inwardly, cursing her luck.

She stood up and rubbed his shoulder.

"When you're ready for some company, come out into the main hold. Everyone's out there."

"Thanks, I think I'll just sit here for a while," Carth said glumly, watching her leave. Rani smiled and nodded, realizing there was still the issue of Tren to deal with. Carth had been quite vocal about his dislike of her brother, and Tren hadn't entirely approved of her new choice of suitor. Getting them to soften up enough just to work with one another was going to be another issue entirely. She sighed and braced herself as she entered the main hold.

--------------

Carina was sleeping. She'd snuck off to catch a wink while Han was piloting the craft, realizing it would be the last time before they touched down on Dantooine that she would get a reasonable amount of shut-eye. They'd been on the run so frequently that she'd hardly had time to catch up on her sleep.

Her dreams were broken and fragmented by memories of her family. Memories she'd stashed away in the vaults of her mind like a dirty little secret. It had been so unfair. The Jedi should never have given her that assignment. They should have known that it would result in their deaths. They should have known.

Carina tossed and turned, flinging off the sheet as she woke up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. A cold knots formed in her stomach. Part of her couldn't believe the memories were real. She knew it was the waking truth, though. She was frightened by that.

She paced a little, then pulled on some garments before venturing outside. While in the hallway corridor, she bumped into Mical, who appeared to be rushing straight from the medbay.

"Oh, pardon me," he said politely, keeping his eyes focused on her face. Had it been Atton, he might have been looked at as a piece of meat. Mical had always been so solicitous and kind toward her, treating her like a goddess.

"Is everything all right?" Carina asked with worry.

"I'm going to take a look at the Admiral, now," Mical explained, nodding in the direction of the port dormitory.

"Is he okay?"

"Fine, but I need to apply some ointment so that his wounds will heal properly, without scarring."

"Of course."

"Excuse me," he said, indicating that he meant to sidle past her. She moved out of his way. As he was walking past, she touched a hand to her throat and called,

"Mical?"

Almost immediately, he spun about to face her.

"What can I do for you?"

"I..." her voice faltered, and she felt suddenly very stupid for not having the courage to voice aloud the thoughts that had run rampant inside the playground of her mind for the past few days.

"I want to thank you. For what you said...about my family. I think about them all the time and...hearing your words comforted me."

Her anger at the situation abated somewhat under the warm glow of his smile.

"It is my pleasure," he said with a humble nod, lowering his eyes as he bowed before her. "Excuse me."

He walked away, and Carina watched after him, her hand clasping the bulkhead for support. He truly did have her best interest at heart, with everything. How could she have been so stupid to have left things as they were? Mical reentering her life was a sign from the Force. She was getting a second chance to amend things between them.

And she was going to take that second chance.

---------------

When Igrayne entered the garage, Bao-Dur was hunched over his workbench as usual, tinkering with the inner workings of his remote. Igrayne was glad that the little droid was deactivated, otherwise it would have exacerbated her headache with the sheer number of beeps and whistles it emitted.

She clutched her chest in pain. Mical had insisted on taking a look at it, but she had been too embarrassed by the prospect of disrobing in front of him, even though he was a doctor. She had suffered the worst of the pain inflicted by the terentatek's claw at the actual tomb site. Now, the pain was slowly abating.

Surprise siphoned the blood from the zabrak's face when he saw her standing there in the doorway, looking haggard.

"General—" he said, abandoning his work for a moment as he approached her. The heavy lashes that shadowed Igrayne's cheeks flew up.

"I'm all right."

"General, you should be in the medbay!" Bao-Dur said urgently. Was she mistaken, or was that actually a note of concern sounding in his voice?

"I'll be fine," she insisted, holding her hand over the deep claw mark. She wasn't as worried about the wound getting infected as she was about it being there at all. She didn't want a big gash on her chest to mar her appearance, especially with someone like Bao-Dur.

"You should have Mical take a look at that," Bao-Dur said, nodding toward her, though he did not touch her. "It could get infected."

"Yeah, I know," Igrayne said. She stared wordlessly across at him, her heart pounding. "It doesn't hurt, you know."

"Well, you seemed to elicit quite the gasp when that 'tatek took a swipe at you," Bao-Dur said, his gloved hand reaching out to push a stray hair behind her ear. She shivered momentarily at the touch, ignoring it.

"How would you feel if a ton-pound creature suddenly decided to use you for target practice?" she quipped.

"I see your point, General," he said very seriously.

She was caught off guard by the sudden vibrancy of his voice. In order to alleviate some tension, she directed his gaze toward the abandoned workbench.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing up my remote," he said, walking toward the small, unoccupied bench. As he seated himself down at it, he gently prodded at his artificial limb. "Making some upgrades."

"On your arm, too?" Igrayne queried, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. Bao-Dur's gaze drifted slowly upward.

"Yeah. One of the benefits of having a mechanical arm."

"I'm sure," Igrayne replied without enthusiasm. "Can I help you with that?"

He shook his head and returned to tinkering with the dissected remote, whose inner contents were splayed across the workbench like a surgical table.

"No, General. I've got it covered."

"I forgot," Igrayne said, dropping to her knees, "techs like to do everything themselves."

He grinned back briefly with no trace of his former tight-lippedness.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

She rewarded him with a larger smile of his own, her hand coming to rest upon his own. She began a slow and steady rhythm with her hand, stroking up and down his good arm. She didn't know why she did it, all she knew was that she had a need for contact—of any kind.

Bao-Dur's eyes trailed to the placement of her hand, growing almost uncomfortable. He'd never wanted things to progress between them beyond the stage of the few kisses that they'd already shared. That was in the past, though.

And there was Vrook to think of. The Jedi Master always had something to say about forbidden attachments and intimate contact of any kind. This was one of the few times that Bao-Dur actually ignored his warning.

He pulled Igrayne to him with his one good arm, placing her between himself and the wall. Igrayne was so surprised by this sudden action of his that her mouth broke into an open smile of surprise.

Her need for him was growing more apparent by the minute, so she did what she thought was appropriate—leaned forward and kissed him chastely on the mouth. Bao was almost surprised by this sudden action of hers, but she didn't give him time to process it as she kissed him again, parting his mouth open to allow her tongue to explore the recesses of his mouth. She could feel him beginning to respond to the kiss. The hardness of his body stood in stark contrast to her womanly curves, as they melded together against the wall.

She gave herself over freely to the passion of his kiss, allowing it to become almost wild and uninhibited. His firm mouth kept demanding a response that she was more than happy to give.

She could feel his hands firm around her waist, growing more insistent as he pushed her up against the wall, almost robbing her of breath. Their lips met again, and were buffeted by a savage harmony.

She began peeling off pieces of his attire—a dark green muscle shirt and overalls—layer by layer, allowing him to do the same to her. She couldn't undress him fast enough. It seemed for every layer she took off, another one would appear in its place.

When he came to the last, final layer of her clothing, he paused a moment, savoring the anticipation.

"General," he said quietly. She only nodded in response, allowing him to tug off her formfitting pants.

Suddenly, he had pinned her up against the wall, letting his mouth ravage hers repeatedly as though he were a starving man. She responded to the kiss, growing bold enough to venture further down the length of his neck, using her teeth to nip a little at the skin. She ran her hands over his horns, a focal point for zabrak pleasure, and groaned softly when his hand trailed down her leg and slowly up toward the apex of her thighs.

But his exploration was speedily halted when he noticed the amount of pleasure it was giving her. She knew he wanted to prolong her enjoyment of the moment for as much time as they had together. But those plans were brought to a roaring halt when she heard a bevy of voices congregating just outside of the garage, threatening to burst the tiny bubble of privacy that they now enjoyed.

His hands came beneath her, lifting her up against the wall of the metal bulkhead. He braced his energy arm on the wall for support. In all the times Igrayne had dreamed of their first encounter, it had never played out quite like this. In her many wasted fantasies, Bao-Dur had played the part of chivalrous gentleman to her ladylike counterpart, soliciting her kindly for a chaste kiss or two behind closed doors.

…But she never expected this. She wasn't prepared for the swift and steady rhythm of his body, or her body's own rapid response as they moved in concert together. He was silent much of the time, until he had built nearly to a climax, at which point he let his enjoyment be known through a series of well-restrained grunts. His restraint was admirable. Igrayne, on the other hand, was far less inclined to restrict herself from full enjoyment of this long-awaited moment.

He released her as swiftly as he had first caught her up in his arms, letting her disentangle her legs from around his waist and grab hold of the nearby bars for support. The encounter had left her somewhat dizzy with joy. Things were getting a bit breezy in the garage. She recovered from her state of half-dress by donning a tight-fitting tunic and pants. Bao-Dur was beside her, busily strapping on the remains of his clothing. She went and tried to help him to dress, though he only allowed her to snap his overalls into place.

Igrayne grew suddenly worried that the others might have heard their pleasured moans.

"I...I have to go," she said quietly, making sure that her clothing was in some semblance of order before venturing outside.

Everyone was congregated in the main hold, talking over something or other. Igrayne thanked the Force that nobody had heard any of their...more pleasurable noises...or if they had, they had the decency not to speak of it.


	25. A Jedi Secret Revealed

Not being able to handle waiting any longer, Indy quietly left the others in main hold and entered the cargo hold. Her bag was where she had hurriedly set it right before they took off from Korriban. Her hands were slightly trembling as she removed the Book from her knapsack. As she held the Book of Death, it seemed colder and heavier than it should be, but this was no ordinary book. She let her fingers caress the etched title, the strange lettering that very few could read.

_I'm holding perhaps the most dangerous weapon in the galaxy in my hands right now,_ Indy realized with a surge of dread.

Someone cleared their throat directly behind her and she turned her head irritated that someone would disturb her.

"What do you want, Tren?" she asked unkindly as she saw his grinning face.

"Just seeing what you're up to," he replied, ignoring her rude tone.

She sighed as she secured the Book in her bag.

"Worshipping your treasure?" Tren teased.

"No, keeping it safe." Indy didn't trust anyone with the accursed Book.

Tren let out a short laugh. "Believe me, I do _not_ want that thing."

"What do you want, Tren?" Indy asked again, this time a little kinder.

He shrugged as he began walking around the room, peering inside various canisters.

"Well, you and my sister are the only ones who seem all right with me being here."

"I have to be, I brought you," Indy answered. She was surprised that Tren wasn't out with the others in the main hold. He'd always been one to thrive on the attention and company of others.

"Yeah, well, I would go bother Rani instead, but I think she's caught up with the fact that her boyfriend's upset with her and me."

"Oh, don't mind Carth, he's a good guy, but he can be such a big, whiny baby," Indy said, trying to make Tren feel better about his mostly unwanted presence on the ship.

Tren laughed wholeheartedly at the comment.

Indy laughed with him and then stopped. Although she knew that there was no future between her and Trentyn, there was a lot of unfinished business between them that she had to have closure on.

"Trentyn," she began, using his full name to garner his attention, "why did you never tell me about your sister?"

He bowed his head as if trying to decide whether to tell her or not.

Indy knew that Tren didn't like talking about personal things. One could talk to him all day and be fully entertained, but never learn one personal detail about the man's life.

"If I told you, then you would have known why I joined the Sith, and I didn't want any Sith knowing about that."

Indy walked up to Trentyn, placing a hand on his forearm and looking up into his eyes. "Tren, you can trust me."

Indy didn't know where that came from, but her and Tren had been close, they'd worked together, they had been good friends, and they had almost been lovers.

Tren gave her his charming smile before starting his story. "Rani is much more than just my sister. She raised me. She gave up everything to make sure I had a good life."

Trentyn's eyes began to get misty. Indy gave Tren's forearm a squeeze to encourage him to go on.

"Our parents died when I was a small child. Hell, even Rani was still a child herself. My father was a Republic soldier, but the Republic did nothing to help us out after our parents were killed. We were taken on by some distant relative. We called her 'Aunt,' but the bitch did little for us other than let us live in her house. Our aunt would go on extended trips, leaving us alone in the house without money or food. Rani had to grow up fast. She wasn't even a teenager yet, but she found a job helping to stock supplies. One time, my aunt went on a trip and never returned. After this, Rani quit school and began working double shifts at her job. Once she was old enough, she started working nights too, dancing at the local cantina. By this time, I was old enough to work after school, but Rani never let me. Turned out she attracted tons of customers to the cantina and was getting paid enough to support us. She was able to quit one of the shifts at her day job, and she always tried her hardest to make sure I never had to suffer because of the absence of our parents. She was my father, my mother, my sister, and my best friend."

Tren paused, breathing shakily and trying to restrain his tears. He swallowed heavily before continuing.

"I saw how hard she worked, how she gave up everything for me. As I grew older, I began to hate the Republic and how they ignored our suffering. As soon as I was old enough, I left. I couldn't be a burden to my sister any longer. I wanted her to have a life, so I left for the Sith Academy, determined to get accepted. I broke Rani's heart when I left and joined the Sith, but she never once stopped trying to care for me. We kept in touch, and as soon as I started to get paid, I would send her half of my paycheck. She never said anything about it. I don't even know what she did with the money. I think she knew that I felt it was my turn to take care of her."

A tear squeezed out of the corner of one of Tren's strikingly blue eyes, and unthinking, Indy reached up and brushed it away.

"I never knew…" she said quietly, trying to control her own tears.

After their discussion, Indy was surprised that he had spilled his guts like that. She had expected him to be a bit more defensive.

Maybe Sith weren't all bad. _Maybe_.

"You better go tell the others what happened… You'll have to get them to trust you some time during this flight, or else it's gonna be _pretty_ awkward around here," she said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Tren nodded solemnly and turned to leave. Indy watched his back as he left. He always was good to look at from behind. She grinned at her train of thought, knowing Han would flip if he heard her. He always seemed on edge when it came to men around Indy. She had no idea why, since she didn't get the males of the human race.

Indy's expression changed after some thinking. Her eyes were narrowed and she was occasionally glancing around. When Carth found out about the book, he would most likely demand that she hand the book in to the Republic.

"Over my cold dead body," she muttered to herself as she picked the bag up.

She hated taking orders from anyone, especially whiny admirals who thought they were the center of the world, and she knew the Republic would be up to no good if they got the book. Or _books_ for that matter.

Walking out of the cargo hold, she passed the group and headed for the captain's quarters. She was met halfway by Han.

"What was all that about?" he asked and followed her as the door to the captain's quarters slid open and she entered.

The room didn't look very extraordinary; a bed, a desk, and a door to a small 'fresher were the only things visible in the room. The desk was covered in papers, and a few of them had fallen to the floor when they took off from Korriban.

Going over to the desk, she put her bag on it and turned back to Han. "What was what about?" she asked him with a slight glance and a weak grin.

"All that Sith business. Tell me. What happened before you met me?" He stepped closer and looked at her with an expression close to a puppy dog. He probably wasn't aware of the look himself.

She sighed. What did she have to lose?

Walking over to the bed, she sat down, and Han seated himself on the chair by the desk.

"As you know, I'm from Corellia. From a very young age, I was alone on the streets. The only thing bigger than my want to get out of the streets and be respected was to investigate the ancient aspects of the galaxy. It intrigued me, and I hungered to know more…" A distant look crossed her face as she remembered her past.

"I managed to teach myself the art of archaeology mostly by the help of the libraries I visited when I didn't look like a sack of fleas. On one of those visits, when I was a teenager, I read the ledger about the Book of Life, an ancient artifact from the true race of Sith. I began reading more into it, and soon I knew every aspect of the legend. Several sources pointed out that the current Sith might hold the key to the book, the Book of Death, but the rumors weren't reliable."

"One day I was approached by a man. I guess he only knew me because I was quite famous for knowing a lot about ancient history concerning the Sith. He offered me a job that paid well, gave me housing, gave me food, and gave me the opportunity to actually search for the key. He was a Sith of course, manipulative bastard that he was, and when I'd been working for a while, he approached me once again, asking for a favor. He was asking that I get something for him from one of the tombs. I did, and only later did I find out that he was no longer part of the Sith, so I had given an artifact to a traitor, and when the Master of the Academy found out…" She paused, wincing from the memory.

"He tortured me 'till I was near death, but he didn't kill me. Right then, I wished he did. The only reason he didn't kill me was because I was currently the only expert they had on the Book of Life.

"After that, I was more careful, more guarded around people. I just didn't trust anyone anymore, and then Tren came into the picture. He managed to get to know me, get closer than any other in the Academy, and we did have something going on."

Han gritted his teeth as she mentioned this, but she didn't notice.

"But then I caught him fooling around with some random bimbo and I gave up on him. Shortly afterwards, I decided I'd endured enough Sith crap, so I stole the crystal and got the hell outta there."

She concluded her story with a sigh, and glanced at Han, wondering how he would react.

"Did you ever sleep with him?"

"Han!" Indy exclaimed with horror. She had just told him her life story and she was stunned that this was the first question he had for her.

"Ok, fine, were you in _love_ with him?"

Indy sighed, Han was taking her past with Tren harder than she thought he would.

"I don't know," she said staring at Han's feet, "I thought I was, before he cheated on me, but now that I look back on it, I'm not sure. I would have fallen for him eventually, but we are different people now. And, no, we never slept together. Well, we almost did…"

"Almost?" Han exclaimed while blanching.

"Would you get off of it already, geez, I told you that it is over between Tren and I!"

"Are you sure, I mean, he seems to still be interested…"

"He's interested in every attractive woman," she replied, sounding bitterer than she intended.

"And you are certainly attractive," Han said staring deep into her eyes.

Indy blushed slightly at the complement, and they both fell silent for a little while.

"Han?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought you'd be more concerned about my past with the Sith."

"Oh come on, _Rheya_," he said, using her real name, "everyone has a past."

---------------

When Trentyn finally left the relative safety of the cargo hold, he met with six expectant faces in the main hold.

"Uh, something up?" he asked, weirded out by the way everyone was looking at him, like he should be making a speech.

Carina looked the friendliest towards him of the bunch, so Tren was relieved when she was the one that approached him and began speaking to him in soft tones so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Indy came by here and told us that you had a story about why you joined the Sith. She thought it would be a good idea if you shared it with the rest of us," she said, giving him an encouraging smile.

He looked at the others. Evy, Atton, Igrayne, Bao-Dur, and Mical, and none of them looked too hostile towards him. He noticed that Indy, Han, Carth, and Rani were all missing. He chose not to comment on any of the missing except for his sister.

"Where's Rani?"

"She wasn't feeling well, so she went to my room to lie down."

Tren guessed that it meant that everything was not all and well between his sister and the Admiral.

"Ok," he said sighing, "I'll tell you my sob story."

Tren began with the intention of not revealing as much as he had with Indy, but the faces of those surrounding him encouraged him to tell them everything, and he did.

After he finished, the women were all drying their eyes. Tren glanced up to see Carth, resting against the wall. His expression was unreadable, more so because of the swelling and bruises on his face. But Tren could've sworn he saw a hint of understanding in the Admiral's eyes.

---------------

Rani leaned over the sink in the 'fresher. She was holding back her long hair with one hand and bracing herself on the edge of the sink with the other. She had stopped vomiting for the moment, so she ran the water to rinse out her mouth.

_What the hell did I eat?_ she thought exhaustedly. She tried to remember as she splashed the cool water over her face.

_Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything today,_ she thought, concerned. _I haven't had much of an appetite, and I've been tired all the time, and I've been…_

She stopped suddenly, the water running untouched down the drain.

"Are you all right?"

Rani swiveled around to see Carina looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Uh… yeah… I think I just ate something that didn't agree with me," Rani explained quickly.

"You should go see Mical," Carina said, worried by the paleness of Rani's usually sun-kissed tone cheeks.

"No!" Rani cried. _If Mical were to examine me, he'd know right away._

Carina stepped back. "Uh, okay, are you sure you're all right?"

Rani put on a very fake smile, "yes, don't worry about me, I think it's just the stress…"

"Okay," Carina said before hugging Rani and leaving.

As soon as Carina left, Rani locked the door to the 'fresher and collapsed into sobs on the floor.

_No…please don't let it be true…Carth will never love me now…_

----------------

Indy walked out of the captain's cabin grinning like an idiot. Who would know talking to someone about that would lighten your mood like that? She now realized that Han was indeed jealous of Tren, and she had to admit—she liked it.

Looking at her chrono, she realized they would be exciting hyperspace in a few minutes. Heading to the cockpit, she seated herself in the pilot's seat. Soon Han came in, and she struggled to hold back a smirk.

The ship came out of hyperspace and Indy slowly and carefully flew towards the planet of Dantooine. She felt the _Blade_ had been through enough and that another rough flight might damage her, and Indy didn't want her baby to be damaged in any way.

They landed the ship in the Jedi Enclaves docking bay. She guessed Igrayne and Bao would want to check up on their friends.

----------------

After the landing, Igrayne headed to Mical. She wanted to check up on her wound, and after that _display of affection_ in the garage, she worried whether or not she had worsened her condition.

When she found him she fidgeted slightly. "Hey, Mical?" She asked and Mical looked up from his medical book. "Yes, Igrayne?"

"I was wondering if you could check out that wound from the Terentatek?" she said, and Mical nodded.

"Of course, Igrayne! It wouldn't be a problem."

He motioned her to sit down, and she did so. He got some tools and picked up the hem of her shirt, raising it slightly, but not enough to reveal anything. He prodded her wound and Igrayne let out several grunts of pain. When Mical was finished, she was on the verge of punching him.

"You have a few broken ribs, so I advise you to take it easy and not do anything strenuous that might damage your ribs further. Apply some kolto once in a while and I am sure they will heal quite nicely," he ordered her, and she nodded.

"Thanks, Mical."

With a curt nod, she left. They had landed on Dantooine and she was sure Master Vrook wanted an explanation.

--------------

"I'm heading to the nearest cantina. Hope you guys have fun with the hermits," Indy said with a laugh as she started walking, followed by Han and Tren. The others figured that they wanted to talk to the Masters about this.

Indy had been sly when it came to the book, she had more or less secured it in her captains cabin, and she had removed it from her bag and placed it somewhere inconspicuous, and out of the way, and when you accounted for all the other ancient looking books in her room, it did fit in pretty well.

If she knew there Jedi correctly they would want to 'control the power of the book'. The book was the key to the ultimate thing, and she would not be giving it away.

At least she could unwind at the cantina. She longed for a Corellian ale right now.

----------------

The Enclave was exactly as they'd left it. Verdant green flora and fauna teemed over the sleek stone walls of the enclosure, a reminder of happier times. Ever since the shadow of the Sith had fallen over the Republic, it seemed as though the whole galaxy was cloaked in darkness.

Igrayne brightened up immediately as they paid the man at the dock to keep an eye on the Blade and paced at a trot down the deserted little path that led to the Enclave. She and Bao had taken a moment before disembarking to don their Jedi robes, so as to appear more seemly before their old friend and master, Vrook. She knew he would be awaiting them when they arrived; he could sense all the eddies and tides within the Force so well, she sometimes wondered if there was nothing he didn't know.

She and Bao walked in silence toward the Enclave, while the others followed in suit. They hadn't spoken since their tryst onboard the _Blade_, but then, Bao never was the verbose type. She attributed his mood change strictly to his unengaging Zabrak personality.

When they came up to the doors, the padawan standing guard outside took one look at their robes and blinked.

"Master Bao-Dur…Mistress Igrayne…you're back!" the youth mused, his eyes fraught with wonder. Igrayne plastered a fake smile on her face; her mind was loaded with unwanted thoughts—of the Enclave, the Jedi…and mostly Bao-Dur. It bothered her that she couldn't read deep into his thoughts, as could Vrook. But maybe going before Vrook would give her some clue as to the Zabrak's wayward state of mind.

"Show us to Master Vrook," Bao-Dur said levelly, his good hand balanced on his saber's hilt. His remote, which had been activated after its thorough upgrade, was whizzing after them. Igrayne had half a mind to use her lightsaber to silence the overactive little droid permanently, but she quelled the impulse with notable effort.

The doors slid open quickly to admit the new arrivals. Inside, the Jedi Enclave was bustling with activity. Around the great tree in center, several students sat, reading books—old Jedi records, no doubt, of past glories. Half-truths and legends, mostly. The Jedi, while not particularly renowned for changing the annals of history, had tampered a little with the story's contents to ensure its thrill factor. Igrayne sheathed her lightsaber and looked around.

"Tell me what we're doing here again?" Atton asked in annoyance, balancing against Evy. He looked well enough to stand, but that didn't stop him from using her as a convenient crutch. He had to be practically dragged through the doors of the Enclave. Evy couldn't figure out why he was so skittish around Jedi.

"Finding a safe place to stay," Igrayne said, looking over her shoulder. Atton grumbled. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

Igrayne walked through the open halls of the Enclave, breathing in the fresh Dantooine air. It was like a homecoming for the both of them. Though Bao-Dur said nothing, she could sense the happiness in him at finally being returned to their rightful home.

As Igrayne walked down the small ramp into the lower levels of the enclave, she passed an exotic Cathar woman.

"Hello, Igrayne," the Cathar purred in greeting.

Igrayne made a slight kowtow, acknowledging respect. This woman was obviously of some importance for her to bow.

"Juhani," Igrayne replied, keeping her eyes lowered a moment longer before dipping out of the bow. "Have you seen Master Vrook?"

"He and the other Masters are in council," Juhani explained, her sloe eyes narrowing slightly. "Which reminds me. Where were you two all this time? The Master is worried sick about you!"

She had both palms positioned on each of her sinuously swaying hips, and had adopted a more comfortable stance to accommodate it.

"There's no time to explain," Igrayne replied.

"You're not in any trouble, are you?" the Cathar asked with a note of concern in her thickly-accented voice.

"No, not at all," Igrayne replied, feeling guilty for trying to mask the lie from a student who could probably see deep into her heart and see the lie for what it was. "Well…maybe."

"It isn't serious?"

"I'm afraid it might be," Igrayne said.

"I'll fetch the Master for you," Juhani said without hesitation.

"No! I'd prefer not to disturb him if he's…otherwise occupied," Igrayne said, noticing the curious stare the Cathar gave her at her sudden protestation.

"He will hear you out if it is important."

"It's about the Sith," Igrayne said at last. She hadn't noticed before now that Bao-Dur was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her. The warmth from his shoulder tingled all the way down to her bones, recalling a whole other host of memories—mainly the one concerning their intimate encounter in the garage. She tried to blot it out, albeit reluctantly, so Juhani would not be able to discern that there was any mischief afoot.

"I hope you didn't bring the trouble with you," Juhani commented, her once-musical voice turning into a dangerous purr.

"I hope so, too. For all our sakes."

Juhani went to fetch the Jedi Master.

"Look," Tren said, sidling up to Igrayne so he could whisper in her ear, "I'm a Sith and Indy's an ex-Sith. You really think this glorious Jedi Master of yours isn't going to recognize that?"

"He won't care," Igrayne said, her eyes blazing, "You're with me. He won't question it."

"I sure hope you're right, or I'll be hightailing it out of here faster than you can say 'Nar Shaddaa Rules!'"

They waited patiently for a few more moments for Juhani to return. When she did, it was with a look of concern. She walked toward them with a catlike grace, the top knot on her head swinging in time to the enticing rhythm of her hips. She paused on the threshold to the council chamber and looked at each of the crew members collectively.

"Master Vrook can't be disturbed now. While your news, I'm sure, is urgent, his is of a far more pressing matter. He'll see you as soon as he is finished."

"No, he'll see me now!" Igrayne demanded, pushing rudely past the Cathar, storming down the ledge into the underground part of the Enclave. Juhani followed with protests, as did Bao-Dur and the rest of the gang. Bao-Dur had caught up with her in time to match her steps, one for one.

"This isn't right," he told her. "General—"

"So stop me," she said with resolve, her gaze fixed straight in front of her. She was determined to barge right through those doors and demand to speak with Master Vrook. Whatever he was doing…well, it could surely wait. Nothing was as important as an impending Sith attack on the most critical Jedi base.

Igrayne paused and leaned her weight against the huge doors. It was locked from the inside, but the key panel had somehow been tampered with or destroyed. Bao-Dur was beside her in minutes, sensing that she wouldn't quit. He followed her example and began pushing against the doors.

When they broke open, Igrayne stormed right in through the ovular room and paused at the head. There were twelve chairs positioned in a circle about a carved relief floor. In the center of the floor stood a woman…a very familiar-looking woman.

Igrayne paused and her jaw dropped open. Bastila Shan, the woman famed for using her Battle Meditation in a winning move against the Sith, was standing at the center of the room. At her intrusion, all of the faces of the masters and the single woman turned toward her. She felt instantly embarrassed. Bastila, she had been told, was dead. Word had reached every corner of the galaxy that the important Jedi tool had been destroyed in one of the last attacks.

"What is the meaning of this?" Master Vandar demanded, croaking at the sight of Igrayne.

"I…" Igrayne tried to speak, but her courage failed her.

"Explaining yourself would be in order," Master Vrook spoke for her, rising from his seat to cross over to her end of the room. Igrayne's brow knotted, betraying her deep confusion.

"Master, I…had to see you." Try as she might, she couldn't tear her eyes from Bastila, commanding the attention at the center of the room. The woman looked peeved at being interrupted by Igrayne's untimely entrance.

"I gave clear instructions to Juhani that you should not be admitted," Vrook said, glaring into her face. He looked up at Juhani, who stood meekly behind Igrayne.

"Can you explain this?"

"She…just barged right in," Juhani said feebly. Vrook shook his head and looked from Igrayne to Bao and back.

"You two should not be here." His eyes strayed to Bastila, as though their secret had just been discovered. "This was a private meeting."

"So I see," Igrayne said. Bao-Dur was watching Bastila intently, and for a moment, Igrayne felt a pang of jealousy stab her. He wasn't actually showing…interest in the woman, was he? If it was, it extended to only the platonic level. She tried to comfort herself with that thought.

"Now that you know," Vrook said, sounding very tired and very angry, "You might as well stay and listen."

"What about our friends?" Igrayne asked.

"They are not allowed in!" Vrook cautioned. Juhani immediately herded the others away at Vrook's directive, before they had the chance to view Bastila standing there. Igrayne and Bao-Dur had, for the most part, obscured the other woman from their periphery.

"Sit, please," Vrook said, extending one hand.

Igrayne and Bao-Dur did as commanded.

"I thought…Bastila was dead," Igrayne said, clamping her hands down on both of the armrests.

"That was exactly what you were meant to believe," Master Vandar said, his eyes alight with this information. "As were the Sith."

_If they only knew we have a Sith and an ex-Sith in our party…_ Igrayne thought. _They'd be livid_. She decided to keep that out of their realm of knowledge, for the time being. It wouldn't serve their purposes to know that right now.

"I don't understand."

"If I may," Bastila said, extending an arm to the other Jedi masters to indicate that she wished to speak. Vrook raised a hand at her to grant her that right.

"Igrayne," Bastila said, nodding to her and then to the Zabrak, "Bao-Dur. I've heard much about the both of you."

"I'm afraid I can't say I've had that pleasure," Igrayne said with annoyance, continually worried about how the Zabrak seemed to be hanging on her every word. Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions. Bastila was a legendary figure, after all. She'd hardly ever expected to see her here of all places.

"But these dark times unfortunately don't give me the time needed to explain all my motives and methods to you. I'm afraid I'll have to explain it quickly, and without question," Bastila began, moistening her lips. "I have been in hiding these past months. I have lived life as an exile… The Sith were led to believe I was dead, and by that, Master Vrook and the Jedi have gained the logical advantage."

"I don't see how," Igrayne replied stupidly.

Vrook held the floor now, his old, wise voice steeped in wisdom.

"With Bastila gone, we've led the Sith to believe that we are at our weakest. When we introduce her at the head of our strike team, it will cripple them."

"You've planned this all along," Bao-Dur observed, with a faint note of admiration, and yet, sadness in his voice.

"Yes," Vrook replied, gazing sharply at the Zabrak as if questioning him.

"So you've lied to all of us about Bastila's death this whole time?" Igrayne asked, gaping. "I don't believe this. I though the Jedi were protectors of good and righteousness, not dirty little underhanded tactics."

"I did what was necessary to ensure the legacy of the Jedi remains on," Vrook replied. "You mustn't tell anyone about this now that I have taken you into my confidence. In the wrong hands, this information could prove dangerous."

Igrayne shook her head and walked out of the room.

"Don't you leave. If you turn your back on me, you can't come back here," Vrook replied sharply, the sound of his voice drawing her to attention. She looked over her shoulder. Bao-Dur's wide eyes seemed to implore her not to go, but her mind was made up. Vrook looked from one to the other, suddenly putting two and two together.

He rose up from his seat and pointed at her.

"Get out. You swore your life to the Jedi Code, and you couldn't even obey that. You gave over to passion. Passion will consume you. There is no place for you here. I will not have you polluting the minds of my students. Get out!"

"Gladly," Igrayne spat, turning to leave the room. The door slammed shut behind her, and a bevy of eager-looking faces all surrounded her.

"What did he say?" Atton queried.

"What happened?" asked Carina.

"We're leaving. Now. Come on."

Igrayne began walking away, ignoring the whispered murmurs that followed. She didn't even have the time needed to devote to explaining how and why Bastila was there, nor did she think the others should know. It wouldn't only complicate matters more, especially now that Trentyn was among him. There was nothing to prevent him from tapping some of his Sith contacts with the information. Bastila becoming a major player in the battle that was looking to be shaping up would certainly make an impact on its outcome. Weighted with this secret knowledge, Igrayne felt angry, frustrated, and incredibly alone. Not even Bao-Dur had spoken a word against the Jedi Master. He had abandoned her at the moment when she needed him most.

Carina looked confused. "Leaving? Already?"

"Yes," Igrayne said clippily.

"It went that bad, huh?" Atton asked.

Igrayne shot him a glance that clearly said how much she didn't want to talk about what happened in the Enclave. Igrayne headed off, and Carina followed her curiously. She hadn't been to Dantooine since...since those days that were meant to stay in her past.

She wanted to know what happened with Igrayne, and perhaps part of her wanted to stay on Dantooine. It was a bit nostalgic just being on the planet again.

"Igrayne?" she began.

"What!" Igrayne snapped.

"Sheesh, no need to get defensive," Carina said. "What happened in there?"

"Nothing."

"Oh yeah, like I believe that," Carina said, hands on her hips.

"You wouldn't understand." Igrayne sat down.

"Igrayne, I know the Council. I know how frustrating they can be as well...try me."

"They are such hypocrites!" Igrayne said, yelling a bit. "They always tell you to do one thing, but another rule or comment contradicts it! I was helping my friends, is that so wrong?"

Carina remained silent, listening to her. She'd learned a long time ago that if one wanted to hear the whole story, one had to remain quiet long enough to listen to it.

"They practically shunned me...kicked me out! I mean nothing to them...heck, I probably don't mean anything to anyone," Igrayne said moodily, which was unlike her.

"You mean something to Bao-Dur," Carina said, smiling knowingly.

Igrayne looked at her in disbelief.

"It really isn't a secret. You guys are...um...I think the word I'm looking for is _loud_."

Igrayne blushed and Carina giggled.

"I want to speak to the Council..."Carina said quietly. "I need to, Igrayne. There have been too many things left unspoken between the Jedi and myself for too long."

"The Council—" Igrayne began to protest.

"I know, they're idiots, what else is new? I still need to correct things with them...if only for my own peace of mind." Carina paused, taking a breath. "Come with me, please? I will admit I'm still a bit afraid of being alone with them...even to this day."

Igrayne hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But you'll owe me."

Carina smiled. "How 'bout I get you and Bao your own little room to—"

Igrayne slapped her upside the head.

"Oh, I was just kidding." Carina chuckled. "Let's go."

Igrayne almost made it to the door of the Jedi Enclave. She was suddenly overcome with such a feeling of dread and uncertainty.

"Carina," she said, stopping in her tracks, "I can't go in there, I'm sorry."

Carina looked irritated until she saw the determined look in Igrayne's eyes. Obviously something major had happened with her and the Council.

"Igrayne, it's all right," she said with a sigh, "I guess I can go in there myself."

"I'll go with you," a slightly accented voice called.

Carina swung her head around, her brunette locks swishing around her shoulders.

"Mical!"

He waited to answer her until he had caught up to the two women.

"I'll go with you," he said again, breathing slightly heavily.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes, I always want to be there for you," he replied.

Igrayne noticed that they were sharing a moment, so she quietly excused herself and headed back toward the _Centurion's Blade_.

Carina smiled shyly at Mical before turning toward the now ominous looking building. Mical must have sensed her apprehension, because he took her hand in his. It was amazing how such a small gesture from him could completely turn around her mood. Now encouraged, the pair walked briskly inside the building.

In the courtyard, they met Juhani, who looked rather peeved. Carina noticed this, but she hadn't seen her old acquaintance in years.

"Juhani?" she said, barely able to contain the memories crashing over her.

The elegant Cathar woman turned to face Carina, and her feline eyes widened with recognition.

"Carina? You…you have returned." Juhani looked so pleased that Carina was hesitant to disappoint her.

"Juhani, I have not come to stay, merely to make my peace with the Council."

Juhani nodded in understanding before noticing Mical, "Mical! You have come too! I always knew you two would be together. There was much talk about the love between you two while you were part of the Jedi…of course it was forbidden back then, but it did not stop most of us from admiring the closeness you both shared. I am happy that you have found love and peace together."

Carina cast her eyes downward with bashfulness. These words pleased her and frightened her at the same time. She knew she loved Mical, but she was not sure if she wanted to share it with anyone, including him just yet.

"Juhani," Mical began, "could you please arrange a way to let us speak with the Council?"

Carina smiled and stared at Mical. He was always so polite, and that accented voice—it sent her into naughty daydreams more than once.

"Well, I will see what I can do," Juhani replied. She had always liked Mical. "Why don't you both sit here while I speak with them?"

As Juhani walked away, Carina and Mical sat close together on the small stone half-wall that encircled the beautiful tree that crowned the courtyard.

He had, by this time, released her hand, but his body was turned towards her so that her shoulder and arm brushed against his chest. She laughed inwardly as she thought about how Mical had no idea of the subtle seductive power he had on her. Almost involuntarily, she leaned against his chest, feeling his muscles tighten to balance her weight. He turned his head to look at her as she did this, and his breath tickled her ear pleasantly. She laid her head down on his sculpted shoulder, prompting him to place a protective arm around him. Now she remembered why she had given herself to him on that tragic night, in his arms, the world no longer seemed scary, but vibrant and beautiful.

She glanced at the pristine Dantooine sky, the leaves of the great tree casting flickering shadows across her face.

"Do you remember what happened here?" Mical asked, his voice more resonant due to Carina's ear positioned on his chest.

She smiled as the memory revisited her. She and Mical were new padawans, so full of hope and faith in the Jedi. She had passed all of the tests and trials they threw at her, and so had Mical. They had met in the courtyard, excitedly talking about their new status with the Jedi. As she had watched him explain how he'd passed the lightsaber test, it was like a spell had been cast over her, and she had leaned in and touched her lips to his. He stopped mid-sentence to return it, but she had pulled back quickly, shocked at her own behavior and worried that someone would see them. Right then, at that moment, she had promised herself that she would never give in to her strong feelings again, and she hadn't, until the night that both of them had decided to leave the Jedi.

"You do remember," Mical said, sharing her memory. "I had always assumed that you had hidden it from yourself."

"No, Mical. I hid my feelings from everyone, but I revisited that moment many, many times."

Mical smiled, and his soft lips beckoned Carina.

Once again, like she had done so many years ago, she kissed Mical in the courtyard of the Jedi Enclave.

A chuckle sounded from behind them, and they begrudgingly broke the embrace.

Juhani smiled at them from across the courtyard. "The Council will see you both now."


	26. En Route to Kashyyyk

Rani had heard from Indy that there was a tiny cantina nearby. She decided to go look for it. She didn't think she could stand another one of Carth's curious looks. Every time she saw him, her heart was filled with anguish. How could she face him now that she knew she was carrying Destrik's baby? Rani had contemplated telling Carth, but she knew that even though she had not consented to Destrik when he impregnated her, Carth would still be deeply affected.

_I don't blame him,_ she thought, _if he knew, I doubt he would ever want to touch me again._

She walked slowly in the direction that Indy had indicated. She had lost much weight since the bombing of Telos, but she felt pounds heavier with all of the emotional burdens she carried.

Rani had been so distracted by her own dismal thoughts that she didn't even notice Trentyn beside her.

"Hey Sis, care for some company?"

Despite her heartache, Tren's voice made her smile. He had always been the one shining, bright spot in her otherwise shadowy life.

"Of course," she replied grinning and throwing an arm over his shoulder, which proved to be harder than it seemed because of the several inches he'd grown since the last time she'd seen him.

Rani finally gave up, and instead threaded her arm around his.

"Where you headed?" Tren said after laughing at Rani's efforts.

"Indy said there was a cantina around here."

"A cantina in this farm land? Wow, I guess even Jedi need to party every once and a while."

Rani smiled before elbowing him slightly, "no, silly, it's for the civilians."

"I'm sure," he said smartly.

They made it to the cantina and they both sat at the bar. The counter was sticky, and the floor had not been swept in what looked like ages, but the barman seemed friendly enough.

"What'll ya be havin'?" the barman said in a friendly country accent.

"How about a couple of Jumas," Tren said, ordering for the both of them.

"Uh, actually, I'll just have a glass of whatever juice you have," Rani said. Initially, she had thought about getting rid of the baby, but instinctively she felt the need to protect the tiny life growing inside of her. She found this slightly unnerving, but she could do no different. She would never be able to kill her child, even if it was forced on her.

Tren gave her a curious look.

"So, Tren," Rani began, hoping to interrupt whatever train of thought he was having, "what's going on with you and Indy?"

Tren nodded at the barman as he set down their order. He then took a swig of Juma before answering her.

"Nothing's going on between Rheya and I."

Rani gave Tren her authoritative look.

"Fine!" Trentyn never could stand that look, "we used to be together, but something happened, and it upset her, and she took off the next day with that accursed crystal."

"What did you do?" Rani demanded. She knew her brother, and she knew that he must have done something wrong.

"Nothing!" he contended, putting on the most innocent face he could muster.

"Tren, you tell me right now before I punch you in the bal--"

"Ok, ok," he said quickly, "she caught me making out with this hot blonde in my room."

Tren did not expect the hard whack he received from Rani right across the back of his head.

"HEY!" he exclaimed.

"Trentyn, I did not raise you to disrespect women like that!" Rani said, taking on her parental tone.

"I know, I know, it was a mistake. I regret it, ok? I regret it every day of my life because I know I've broken her heart, and she'll never ever come back to me."

Rani immediately sympathized with her brother. She knew that he was sincere.

"So, what's going on with you and _Republic_?" Tren asked, obviously not happy with the relationship.

"His name is Carth Onasi and you don't have to worry, I doubt anything will happen between us."

"Why not?" he asked his sister, his brows furrowing.

She took a deep breath, "it's complicated."

After their quiet moment in the courtyard of the Enclave, Mical and Carina prepared themselves to go before the Council. Finally, after all these years, she would find peace when she questioned the Council of its motives in sending her to destroy her own family. The questions had fluttered about in her mind for years. Finally, they would be silenced.

Juhani led them to the great doors and stood aside. Carina and Mical bowed through the doors, coming into the center of the room before the twelve chairs spaced evenly around the room. Carina walked straight up to her old Master, Vrook, and dropped to one knee, letting her eyes hold the ground as she clutched her lightsaber in one hand. Vrook's eyes held her appraisingly from where he sat ceremoniously in his chair.

"Carina," he addressed, a tone of displeasure lurking in his otherwise calm voice. "You still carry a lightsaber."

"For protection," she said, looking up without a greeting. If he hadn't the decency to give her one, she certainly wouldn't give him one.

"Only Jedi guardians may carry them for protection," Vrook remonstrated. His stern, solemn features were not aided any by the harsh lighting of the room that floated in through some of the many windows situated around the dome-shaped ceiling. Rolling green hills and barrows eclipsed the horizon line beyond her view.

"As you can see, I'm not one for following rules," Carina replied.

Vrook's mouth quirked in a strange smile—not of amusement or displeasure, but one akin to respect. It was as though he could almost recognize some of her headstrong nature in himself.

"I must say, this is an unexpected surprise. Yours is not the first audience I've given today. First Igrayne, and now you."

Carina shook her head, and her dark hair instantly reacted by fluttering over her shoulders.

"Look, Master, I didn't come here to chat. I came here for answers."

"But of course," Vrook said, balancing his fingers together as he leaned forward in his chair. "You must have many questions."

"Let's start with why you sent me on the assignment of killing my family," Carina demanded. Mical made a hesitant move to stop her from saying the words, but they had rolled out without forethought or warning. Vrook, however, was not at all fazed by the tone in which she delivered them or the weight of the words themselves.

"Jumping right to the chase, Carina," Vrook commented with a note of irony in his voice. "It was not, as you know, intended to be a death sentence. But when your mission failed, you saw no other alternative. We had discussed the possibility of failure, but in our view, we believe you had been equipped with the skills and talents necessary to turn them from the dark side. So you see, it is I who should be demanding of you what went wrong that day."

Carina's head turned at the statement.

"No, I don't think I see your logic."

"If you had followed your training, your family might have been alive today," Vrook told her.

Carina looked away; the words stung, and she felt the bitterness seep into her bones. It was what she had told herself every day since that day, and hearing it from Vrook himself didn't make it any easier to digest. Mical's hand touched her arm in a comforting gesture.

"With respect, Master Vrook, I should like very much to excuse ourselves and take Carina away to rest," Mical replied.

"Very well," Vrook stated, after a moment of quiet observation. He could see the turmoil Carina was in, and he softened slightly at the open show of emotion. "I have prepared rooms for you and your crew to stay at the Enclave. But in the morning, I expect to find you gone."

His eyes meaningfully held Mical's, and the younger doctor replied to this with a nod.

"I see."

Mical put an arm around Carina, careful not to disturb her. She nestled her face in his neck to stifle her tears. He merely allowed his hand to repeatedly stroke the hair back from her face, and held her tighter as they walked.

"Mical," Vrook called out, before they had emerged through the door to regroup with the others. The young doctor turned to look at the man, who had hoisted himself from his chair so that he was standing, circled by a ring of light. He looked truly all-powerful, every bit the Master as his title denoted.

"I am sure you must have heard the rumor from Igrayne and Bao-Dur by now. I strictly forbid them from saying anything to you two, but they were never good at adhering to the Jedi Code, even when they were students here."

Mical's pale eyebrow cocked in non-understanding.

"The rumor? I don't understand."

The lines in Vrook's face deepened as a result of this new development. He looked over his shoulder and nodded to one of the other Masters, who quietly vacated his seat to go into the next room. When he returned, it was with a tall, proud young woman. She had on a brown flight suit with regal-looking flourishes and adornments, and she held herself proudly, like a queen. Mical immediately humbled himself by looking to the ground.

"It cannot be! My lady Bastila."

Her name was known across the galaxy as legend. Her picture was in holovids everywhere, as well as on the holonet. He would have known her even if he had been blind.

"It is good to see you again, Mical, though under such unfortunate circumstances," Bastila said, her gentle, accented voice like the breezy caress of the wind.

_Did she say 'again?'_ Carina wondered, suddenly jealous. By the way she was looking at Mical, she could detect some recognition. She wondered if they had some history together that they weren't letting on, or if they'd known each other strictly on a professional basis. She couldn't stand the thought of Mical following such a prominent celebrity around instead of her.

And Bastila was every inch the celebrity. It was clear she was enjoying her position of power. She wandered around the room, usually spouting useless information (or so Carina thought), and generally being unhelpful. But to the ears of the Masters, every word she said was music. Every glance...a work of art. She was beautiful, through and through.

Carina hastily extended her hand for the other Jedi to shake. Bastila did so, warily accepting the offered hand.

"And you," she said, "I've heard much of your exploits."

_I bet you have_, Carina thought, tensing her jaw.

"I thought you were dead," Mical replied. Bastila cut him off before he could say any more.

"There is no time for that, doctor. A critical moment approaches. The Sith are amassing their forces at Korriban, our intelligence reports, and we are preparing to engage them in battle. We've already sent out word for reinforcements. They arrived yesterday, and we have begun an intensive training process. That may be why you see so many more 'students' around the Enclave."

Vrook put a hand on Bastila's shoulder to indicate that he wished to speak.

"Bastila is correct. With Saul Karath gone, one enemy has been vanquished, but another has risen in its place: Destrik. His young protege." He paused momentarily to regain his bearings. "Master Vandar has been working with them on a strict diet and exercise regimen, trying to discipline the troops for when we see action. Which should not be too much longer, if we are to believe the rumors are true."

Master Vandar stood up, hobbling over to the other standing figures with the help of his gimer stick. The little creature was a virtual repository for wisdom, but he was silent much of the time, offering only mild tidbits of information here and there.

"Progressed well, the troops have. Train them more, I must, if more progress we are to make."

"And you will have all the resources at your disposal, Vandar," Vrook said, tapping his shoulder with affection.

"Bastila's been working on the fighting end of it. I think she may yet make something of these troops."

It was clear, in one look, that Vrook admired the woman...maybe even felt a flurry of emotion for her in his old heart. Though these were the very feelings he warned against, it was plain to see he had the utmost respect for the woman and what she was trying to accomplish by her work in the Enclave.

"They're not much, but they've shown some promise," she said, both hands on her hips. Carina was infuriated at how easily she could assess situations, like she had all the knowledge in the world. Well...she was a wealth of knowledge when it came to fighting and battle meditation, but Carina quickly and easily decided she wasn't good for much else.

"And what am I to do? You dismissed me, remember?" Carina asked.

Vrook's eyes darkened over as he said sternly,

"You are to do nothing. Tell no one what you have seen here."

"The Sith were pursuing us when we landed on Dantooine," Mical said at last. This news turned the mood haywire inside the Council chamber. Vrook's eyes widened with shock.

"Pursing you, you say?"

The young doctor curved his chin in a nod of acknowledgment. When he did so, a few stray strands of blonde hair fell into his eyes, ruining his otherwise perfect appearance. Carina was temporarily tempted to reach out and push them out of the way, but she fought back the urge to do just that.

"Yes. I think we are safe for now, but I fear the consequences of what may happen if they find us here."

"You are not safe here," Vrook said, outreaching a hand to tap Mical's shoulder. He guided him toward the door as they spoke, adjusting his gait so they kept the pace with one another. "You should not have come."

Another moment passed, punctuated by the bubbling sounds of the fountain from the courtyard.

"I will send you to a contact I have on Kashyyyk. It is not too far, and they will surely take you in. You have my word on it."

"And the battle?" Mical queried.

Vrook straightened his spine.

"When the time is right, I will send for you. We will rally to the call. But wait for my directive."

Mical stooped low in a bow, remembering his manners.

"I will wait forever if need be, Master."

Carina forgot for a moment why he had deserted the order in the first place. His loyalty to them was astounding.

"Good. We are understood," Vrook said, looking back and forth at each of them. "You are both dismissed. I will keep you here for a night, but you must leave come morning. When you get to Kashyyyk, find the local Wookiee chieftain, Chuundar. You may find it an inhospitable place at first, but its charms will soon grow on you. That I promise."

He made as close to a smile he could manage without lowering his defenses. Mical and Carina were ushered out of the chamber by Juhani. She shoved her claw-like hands into their backs. When Carina tried to turn back toward the Council chamber, she merely bared her fangs in a venomous hiss.

"You heard the Master. You were dismissed."

Her suddenly fierce show of loyalty confounded Carina. She was confused as it was, not knowing whom to turn to after this little encounter. She couldn't tell Rani, and she certainly couldn't tell Trentyn. He was Sith. If anyone was bound to betray them, it was him.

Igrayne. Igrayne knew. She could talk to her friend about it, if to no one else.

----------------

Igrayne was pacing again. Pacing always helped dispel her nervous energy. And she had more than a bundle of it. She wanted desperately to know what had happened in the Council chamber, but at the same time she didn't want to appear too overeager for news. Feigning disinterest was her best scheme.

She sat down under the tree, whose arms curled like outward-reaching hands. Its leaves provided an ample amount of shade for how hot the day was, so it was relaxing just to sit under it and think. She heard someone coming up behind her and thought it might have been Carina.

When she turned around, she was disappointed to find Bao-Dur, his remote close at heel. The excited droid dipped down and landed on her shoulder before powering itself off. Igrayne caught it in her open palm with a chuckle.

"Feeling all right, General?" Bao-Dur asked.

Igrayne pushed back a strand of hair from her face to keep Bao-Dur in her line of view. He looked drawn and haggard, like he hadn't slept well. She felt stupid. _Of course_ he hadn't slept well, when they'd been...

She blushed and looked away, banishing the memories from entering her head in such a sacred place. The Enclave was positively abuzz with news of the impending battle with the Sith. It seemed the Jedi had multiplied since her brief time spent there as a padawan.

"Yeah, a little fatigued, but nothing a little rest won't cure."

He sat down beside her, his eyes searching her face.

"And your ribs?"

"Mical saw me. He gave me some kolto to apply. Said I should be fine."

"That is good news."

An uncomfortable silence permeated the air. Igrayne coughed to alleviate it.

"General?"

"Yes?" she asked, a little too eagerly.

"I've made contact with Kevan," Bao-Dur said, dashing her hopes for a conversation broaching the topic of their previous _entanglement_ aboard the ship.

"Oh? That's...great news," she said, her tone lacking its usual vivacity. Bao-Dur suspected something was up just by the way she said it.

"Yes, but you seem completely unaffected by it."

"What do you want me to do, jump up and down and wave my arms about right here in the Jedi Enclave?" Igrayne demanded huffily. "It's _totally_ inappropriate."

Bao-Dur's eyes narrowed at her.

"General, I know what's going on. The others have noticed it, too."

Igrayne felt like the tight collar of her uniform was going to stifle her. She looked away, forbidding him the right to look at her. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of eye contact.

"I don't want to talk about this. We've got bigger things to worry about up there. The Sith...well, they won't wait forever for us."

"You worry too much, General."

Igrayne's head swiveled around quickly.

"I wish I had your indifference."

Bao-Dur couldn't understand why she was fighting tooth and nail with him at every turn. She was making it incredibly difficult for him just to reason with her, so he decided to stop trying for the moment.

Thankfully, Carina came bustling up almost immediately.

"What happened?" Igrayne said, shooting to her feet so fast she nearly unbalanced herself. She wondered if Vrook had revealed to her the secret about Bastila or not. "Did Master Vrook say anything?"

Carina paused just inches before her. Mical was still scrambling just to keep up.

"He's given us quarters for the night, but we need to leave in the morning. It's too dangerous to lead the Sith here. He suggested Kashyyyk. He said he even knows a contact there who would take us in."

"Kashyyyk," Bao-Dur murmured, "I know it well. Spent some time there in the wars."

His thumb flicked over the transceiver of his comm unit.

"Kevan said he was going to be on Kashyyyk, and that if we were headed that way, we should perhaps form a meeting with him."

"Kevan's alive," Igrayne said unenthusiastically. Carina smiled.

"Great, maybe he can help us take out Atton."

"Sarcasm like that will only divide us," Bao-Dur warned her. She grudgingly acquiesced to his demands.

"Let's go inform the others. Indy needs time to prep the ship," Igrayne said, taking charge of the situation. She walked away at breakneck speed, going to scour the Academy for her other scattered crewmates.

Carina quickly caught up to Igrayne, who was entering the Enclave again. "Thought you might need help looking for our friends...oh, and Atton."

"No, I'm fine...thanks anyway," Igrayne said, continuing her quick walking pace.

Carina continued to keep up with her regardless. "Well, I don't really want to go back to the ship...so I guess you're stuck with my company."

Igrayne didn't respond to that but through out another question at her. "So you and Mical, huh? How's that going for you?"

Carina's features immediately hardened. There was a reason that she didn't want to stay at the ship...and that reason was a certain blonde doctor. She coughed to break the deafening silence.

"I don't really want to talk about Mical." She said softly.

"Oh, I see." Igrayne said.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Carina snapped.

"You sure everything's okay?"

Carina sighed. "I'm going to go do something. I don't know, I'll see you later, Igrayne."

Igrayne was a bit surprised at her sudden change in mood and her sudden departure, but didn't make a move to stop her. She, herself, wanted some time alone to be honest.

Carina made her way back to the center of the Enclave, the beautiful stone fountain that resided there had always comforted her for some reason...though she could name why that was. Even as a small child, she'd been enamored with the stone fountain.

"Carina..." The familiar Cathari voice called.

"Juhani!" Carina immediately turned her attention to the Cathar.

"I hope I did not disturb you," she said.

Carina shook her head. "No, you didn't. I was just...thinking."

"Why did you leave the Order, Carina?" Juhani asked boldly.

Carina was surprised by her question. "I..."

"Yes?" Juhani was fully intent on gaining the answer to her question.

"Because I was not worthy enough to be a Jedi," she supplied. "I wasn't strong enough to get the job done. I killed my family...because the Council told me to. I was supposed to save them, and I could not."

"You blame yourself?"

"Yes," Carina breathed.

"But you could not have done any differently," Juhani replied. "We here have all heard the stories. Master Vrook likes to praise you, just not while you are around."

"Wait—what?" Carina shook her head to make sure she was hearing right.

Juhani tilted her head slightly. "Yes, Master Vrook has always praised you. He tells us we should aspire to be like you sometimes. When you left, he became a lot colder, as he is now. He focuses only on the Jedi Bastila now."

This information was greatly astonishing, to say the least.

"It is as it should be, I did not deserve the rank of Jedi knight."

Juhani laughed a little. "You tell yourself that, but I do not believe a great Jedi like you actually believes it."

Carina was flattered and insulted at the same time. "I am no longer a Jedi—"

"But you could become one again! Master Vrook would most likely train you again and—"

"No," Carina said simply. "I do _not_ want to be a Jedi again."

"Because of him?" Juhani said, pointing to Mical who was entering the Enclave.

Carina's eyes immediately flew to the man. Was he really what was holding her back from joining the ranks of the esteemed Jedi once again? In that moment, she realized that he was because she was afraid of failing him. He held her in such high esteem.

"Yes," Carina mumbled, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Juhani looked sympathetically at her. She rested a claw-like hand on her shoulder. "You should talk to Master Vrook."

"I can't."

"You can," Juhani said proudly. "Become the Jedi that we should all aspire to again..."

And with that, the Cathar excused herself to go visit the plains outside the Enclave. Carina quickly slipped out of sight from Mical who she could only assume was looking for her. She found an empty room that had been assigned to her and her friends. She curled up on the bed and fell asleep, trying desperately to figure out something to do, what she _should_ do, and what was in store for her if she did in fact turn back to the Jedi...

----------

Indy was already getting the engines of the _Blade_ powered up the morning after Carina and Mical informed her of their plans to travel to Kashyyyk. She muttered something about it being an "inhospitable place," then retreated to the captain's quarters to grudgingly do what was asked of her.

Igrayne had sought out a spot under the tree to meditate. She didn't know why she even bothered, now that she'd formally left the Order, but she needed a few moments to collect herself before moving on to their next venture.

She sat in a nice spot, allowing the sun to warm her as she closed her eyes and cleared her mind of all coherent thought. A dark shadow that ate up her sun supply suddenly told her that a very forbidding presence was standing in front of her. She turned up to see Juhani standing there before her.

"Why did you do that?"

"If this is another lecture, you can forget it. Master Vrook already spoke his mind to me enough to let me know I'm no longer welcome here."

"Then why do you stay, General Igrayne?" Juhani queried. Like her, the Cathar had fought in the wars. She had nearly been a casualty of a much earlier war induced by the Sith, when her parents and everyone in her village had been killed like dogs. Igrayne remembered one quiet afternoon when Juhani recounted the story to her with sadness in her voice.

"Don't call me that," Igrayne said, shutting her eyes tightly. The only one who called her by that name was nowhere to be found. "I am no longer a General or a Jedi. I am no longer worthy of bearing the title."

"You are foolish to think so," Juhani said, stooping down to one knee in front of her to fully monopolize her attention. Igrayne was a little angry that she had interrupted her meditation, but her anger subsided when the beautiful Cathar reached out and touched her face sweetly.

"Many good things will come to you, you will see."

"I hope," Igrayne replied glumly. Her eyes fluttered upward and she lifted up a hand to shield them from the scorching hot sun of Dantooine.

"You may yet play a vital role in the war that is to come, Igrayne. You have not forgot your training. Perhaps you could take up arms…the people still respect you."

Igrayne shook her head fiercely to counter the statement.

"No. And the only one who did…I pushed away."

She looked away, watching the tree's leaves rustle as they were buffeted by the wind. She should have guessed Juhani was not so closeted as to not know whom she was speaking about. The Cathar could always guess her state of mind, even when she never said a word. The calling of Jedi was a suitable one, indeed.

"That is untrue. You and the Iridonian trust each other. Or at least the Iridonian trusts you."

Igrayne ran her hands through her own hair, brushing the black masses over her shoulders as soon as they started to irritate her. Juhani sat down, cross-legged, in front of her so as to force Igrayne to look at her.

"Master Vrook believes that the Iridonian holds the knowledge to restoring Telos."

"Bao-Dur?" Igrayne queried. He was just a simple technician. He'd hardly made so much as a mark in the Force before banding with her and the rest of her crew. Once again, as in all their previous battles, she had overlooked him.

"Yes. His skill with machines is something beyond which most can aspire to. His shield technology surpasses the designs of even the most skilled power architects. I do not realize if you know what it means to have such a one respect and follow you."

Igrayne digested her words with a grain of salt. It was flattering to have Juhani weigh in on the subject, but she wasn't about to think that Bao-Dur preferred her over the rest of the crew. Their dalliance was just that…a dalliance. She had to keep reminding herself that he was a murderer. His technology, while astounding, was what killed thousands in the last battle. He'd been guilt-ridden forever afterward at the knowledge of what he'd wrought, but in her mind, that didn't make him any less a murderer.

Juhani continued, at length. "The Iridonian allied himself with no one on his entire homeworld, but he will follow you at the risk of his life. His stance in many ways mirrors you. Where he walks, he carries a world upon his shoulders. And like you, I do not know if he has ever faced it."

Igrayne shook her head.

"No. He carries with him the guilt of his misdeeds at Malachor V. He has not yet confronted it, nor have I. To be honest with you, I don't remember much of those days. It's as though the memories were somehow…washed from my brain. I can't really explain it. Well, it's in the past, I guess."

Juhani's neck craned at an odd angle to survey her.

"It does not sound like it is in the past. But I shall respect your wishes. I did not mean to bring up painful memories. Forgive me."

Igrayne took her hand in her own and patted it.

"Do not apologize to me, old friend. It is I who should be apologizing to you for jeopardizing my own fate with the Jedi, ridding you of another potential ally. I still hope to do what I can when the battle comes."

Juhani nodded quietly then turned to see the silent form of Bao-Dur approaching. The Zabrak had donned his muscle shirt and overalls again, and he had an oily hydrospanner tucked into his belt. The remote perched just above his head, beeping and booping with recognition when it deposited Igrayne's image into its memory bank.

"Indy is ready and calling for all hands," the Zabrak said quietly, quite unaware that he had been the topic of conversation mere moments ago. Igrayne scrambled to a kneeling position and pushed herself up with the weight in her legs. She embraced Juhani one last time, realizing that she probably would never return to the Enclave and its occupants ever again.

She followed after Bao-Dur, who treaded the long pathway toward the docking platform in complete silence. Igrayne was growing fed up with his constant displays of apathy. It was definitely time to tackle their problem.

"So," she said, panting to keep up with him, "Still a pawn of Master Vrook, I see?"

She'd wanted to say something scathing to nab his attention, but she wasn't prepared for the shocked look on Bao-Dur's face when he turned around briefly toward her. It was almost as though he could tell she intended to hurt him with that statement.

"Why do you say such things, General?"

"Because he cast me out."

"If memory serves me correctly, General, you left."

Igrayne looked away bashfully, trying to evade the technicalities of what had happened in the council chamber.

"It's because I decided to start thinking about my own survival. Staying with the Jedi doesn't fit my needs."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, General. I hope it will not mean bad blood between us."

She melted when she heard the sad tone of his voice, but she didn't allow herself to outwardly display her weakness. Everything about the kind-hearted Zabrak made her weak. She couldn't understand herself, sometimes.

She scooped her lightsaber out of her robes and tossed it angrily at him. He barely had time to react, but somehow, he caught it with his mechanical arm, looking down to its position in his palm.

"General?"

"Keep it. I have no need of it anymore."

His fingers tightened around the cylinder, looking up at her. They had constructed the lightsaber together; it was their joint venture, their project. Her returning it to him signified a primitive rejection, on some level.

"Very well, General. But if you should need another—"

"I won't," she said tersely.

They walked in uncomfortable silence to the Blade's position on the docking pad. She couldn't believe this was the same Zabrak with whom, mere hours ago, she had shared such passion in the garage, prompting Carina to make some smart remark about their uninhibited noise levels. He seemed virtually a stranger to her, now. Hopefully all that would change when they arrived on Kashyyyk and met up with Kevan, a mutual friend to the both of them. At most, he could mediate a civilized conversation and then some between them.

Igrayne had her foot on the lower rung of the landing stairwell, when a voice cried from behind her,

"Wait!"

Immediately, the rest of the crew paused what they were doing to see what all the commotion was about. There, tramping up the long, winding path were a very red-faced Master Vrook and a staid Bastila, following in suit. Vrook was waving his arms frantically. Carina immediately came out of the ship's hull and went down to greet him.

"What's this all about, Master?" she asked, one hand positioned assertively on her hip. She shifted body postures so the bulk of her weight fell to that one hip.

"To insure your safety, I'm sending along Bastila as your guardian. She will transport you safely to Kashyyyk where you will be deposited to Chuundar, then return to the Enclave."

"But what about her duties here? Doesn't she have soldiers to train?" Carina asked, suddenly becoming nervous.

"Master Vandar will take over those duties for her while she attends to her new assignment."

Bastila had a placid look upon her face. Obviously, she had nothing important to say about the convenient change of plans.

"I'm afraid you must move your ship from our landing pad, though, for if the Sith track you to here, they would begin an all-out attack on the base."

"Well, that'll be easy, we'll just be flying the Blade right out of here," Carina said, rolling her shoulders in a shrug.

"No, that won't do either. If the Sith see you flying away in that, they'll target in on you. I don't want my prize student being harmed in any way," Vrook said, and nodded toward Bastila. She had both hands on her hips, her pelvis jutted outward in a more imposing stance, her chin tipped slightly upward.

_She really thinks who she is,_ Igrayne thought. Then, remembering something important, Igrayne groaned. It was all a very bad idea. Tren would see Bastila and tell his Sith friends about the Jedi, which could mean grave consequences for what remained of the foundering Republic. She didn't entirely trust Vrook, either. There was something more at work here. He wasn't about to give up Bastila as a guide to Kashyyyk purely out of the goodness of his heart. The possibility that she could be maimed or killed while in transit was overwhelming. He wouldn't have sent her along without his reasons. What those reasons were, she wanted to know, but Vrook wasn't likely to divulge his secrets to her after she'd turned her back on the Jedi Order.

"I have a ship I can loan to you for your use. Do with it what you will, just bring it back to me in one piece."

Indy had temporarily emerged from the entrance hatchway, stooping her head down as she peered down at Master Vrook.

"What's the holdup, gramps?"

Vrook, peeved at having been addressed in so informal a tone, merely assumed an authoritative tone of voice to purportedly make Indy quiver in her boots. It wasn't working, however.

"You must abandon your ship and transfer over all your belongings to one with which I shall provide you."

Indy's jaw fell open and she took a few steps forward, climbing down the ladder as she stalked toward the tall, hulking form of the Jedi Master.

"Oh no you don't! This ship's my baby! You can't part us. Where she goes, I go!"

Han's hand closed on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb in circles. She spun about, breaking the contact.

"You tell him, Han!" she said frantically. Han rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head, looking suddenly timid.

"You know…uh…much as it pains me to say it, I think the old fossil might have a point."

Vrook merely glared daggers at the two scoundrels. Indy looked like she was going to cry.

"Don't worry. We'll get her back in one piece," Han assured her, both hands on her shoulders as he gazed deep into her eyes.

"We better," Indy snarled, sending a sidelong glance at Vrook.

"The ship is called the Golden Eagle," Vrook said with a definite note of pride in ownership, walking them through a long row of docking pads until they came to one occupied one sitting apart, detached in the back. On it stood a gleaming golden ship, a real beauty. It was a KDY-class cruiser, a YT-1300 model. It shone like pure gold, brighter than the light from both of Tatooine's twin suns combined. Han's eyes registered surprise and shock.

"Well, Indy, don't think you've lost a ship so much as gained a treasure."

"Yeah," Indy replied, running her flattened palm over the smooth silver encasing of the ship's hull. She surveyed it from every inch and nodded. "Oh yeah. I bet she handles like a dream, too. She'll do."

"Quickly now," Vrook said. "You don't have much time to delay."

A few moments more, and they had all boarded the Golden Eagle and scouted around the ship for the dormitories and 'freshers, to make sure everything was in working order. Indy and Han had slipped into the pilot's seats, while Vrook had some of the padawans cloak the Centurion's Blade from view. Tears misted Indy's vision.

"It'll be all right, ol' girl," Han whispered in her ear. "You'll see her again soon."

"I better, or there'll be hell to pay," Indy replied, her hands clamping down on the controls as she prepared to enter the coordinates into the navicomputer. Suddenly, she remembered something critical. Leaning over her chair, she shouted loudly,

"Hey, can I have the Jedi queen of the galaxy up here for a moment?"

Bastila obediently strode forth into the cockpit, bracing herself as she stooped down to fit into the cramped quarters. She was shoved involuntarily up against Han.

Bastila had shed her Jedi uniform for a more formfitting outfit that outlined the contours of her muscular legs and arms, which she had shaped and toned through hours and hours of intensive practice. Her brown hair was pulled back into a long ponytail that cascaded down over her shoulders. Tren seemed mildly interested in the identity of the new passenger. Rani even caught him eyeing her from behind once or twice. She was instantly outraged by the effect this woman was having on all the men of her crew. Perhaps it was just her mind and her hormones distorting her perspective. She'd have to take Carth aside and talk to him later.

After Bastila delivered the coordinates to the computer's memory unit, she craned her neck and stepped down into the main hold. Tren was splayed out across one of the large couches, one arm possessively covering the chair back. He smiled at Bastila, turning on the charm.

"So, is that Jedi Code thing still in effect, or do you make exceptions?"

The seductiveness in his voice was so apparent it made Rani's already overactive gag reflex want to start working overtime. The scene was so disgusting, she could almost taste the bile in her throat. She hated the way her brother behaved sometimes, as if he had no morals or good sense about him at all. Well, what could she expect from a Sith?

"I am here on a matter of business," Bastila said imperiously, her gaze directed at Tren. "I suggest you curb your ogling for the time being if we are to get matters accomplished."

That said, she turned her face away, her perky little nose directed straight up into the air to indicate she had finished speaking with him. But before she could continue her charade of not caring about the rest of the crew members, someone with a very familiar face stepped in her path to present himself to her.

Carth perked up and saluted her.

"Carth Onasi!" Bastila mused aloud. "You are alive! It is a pleasure to see you again."

"I could say the same of you, Bastila," Carth said, his sheepish grin replacing the scowl that once deepened his frown marks.

"I am to be your commanding officer on this expedition, as you know. I would appreciate it if you would address me as 'Mistress Bastila,' as befits my rank."

Carth's eyes narrowed and he pointed an accusatory finger at the lithe woman.

"Just because Vrook has put you in charge doesn't make you the boss of me. You may be a Jedi, Bastila, but I still outrank you."

"There's no cause to get temperamental, Carth," Bastila said, her voice grating with anger, "I won't be a nuisance to you and the expedition shall be over before it is begun. Then perhaps we can put all this behind us."

"Very well," Carth said, clasping his hands behind his back in a military stance. "I'll trust you, Bastila, but you Jedi are remaining very close-lipped about this whole thing. It's putting me on edge."

"It is under control, Carth, I can assure you," Bastila said, her soothing voice relaxing him. Obviously, they'd had an unpleasant experience together before for them to each be set off so easily by the other's presence. Rani was momentarily calmed by this happy news. At least she didn't have to worry that Bastila was possibly an old girlfriend or ex-lover. There was something she had difficulty picturing. Prim and proper Bastila, her hair all done up in pigtails, bossing around her better half. She nearly laughed out loud at the thought. Bastila might have enjoyed some notoriety and prominence as the Jedi Council's pet, but that's where it ended. She would get no such honor from her.

-----------------

It didn't take long for experts like Han and Indy to figure out the control schematic. Indy had boasted of flying this class of ship many times before, though Igrayne could definitely detect a secret thrill when Indy took over the piloting, indicating to her that the boast had been entirely a lie.

Indy's joy was short-lived, though, when Bastila had insisted on taking over command of the pilot's seat. Indy found there was little she could do as she was kicked mercilessly from her pilot seat, relieved temporarily of her duties. Bastila quickly explained that she wouldn't be doing her duty by them if she just lounged around all day in the main hold, acting useless. Han seemed mildly amused by her spunk, and allowed her to dole out orders to him at first. This persisted a little longer, until it blew up into a knock-down, drag-out argument in the cockpit, for which Indy had to mediate. Once that little problem was solved, life returned to normal in the ship. Everyone's nerves were on edge from the threat of a Sith attack.

But they had a Sith among them. It was a good thing he didn't recognize Bastila for the Jedi she was, otherwise they would have been in a world of trouble. Rani thanked the Force that her brother had either led a somewhat sheltered life at the Academy to not know who Bastila Shan was, or he'd completely neglected his studies. The first thought was obviously more comforting.

Sitting in the main hold being assaulted by voices on all sides was exacerbating Igrayne's headache. It had persisted for several days now. She attributed it to the stress of having to force a land in Dantooine, and partly to her desertion of the Jedi Order. She got up to stretch her weary limbs and walked through the corridors, deciding to take a look around. Now was the best time to be exploring. There was no telling what would happen later on, if the Sith should engage them in battle.

She strolled through the winding corridors. It was more spacious and luxurious than Indy's modest ship, boasting a vast array of exotic foods and drinks in the little kitchenette area. She walked past the medbay, where Mical was unpacking his doctor's items. A very anxious-looking Atton was sitting on the medical cot, his wounded leg stretched out in front of him.

"Okay, doc, let's get this over as quickly and painles—"

Before he had a chance to finish, Mical injected him with a concentrated dose of bacta.

"Ouch!" Atton yelped, wincing with pain. "I said painlessly, damnit!"

"My apologies," Mical said, his eyes narrowed and a hint of loathing apparent in his voice. Those feelings were probably the sum total of being screamed, cursed, and yelled at every time he ever brought a medical object within Atton's proximity. Igrayne could sense some definite satisfaction in the tone.

She bypassed the medlab, walking down a long corridor into a dead end. It turned out that what she thought was a dead end actually ended up being the garage. She stumbled a little over herself, trying to back out quickly before the zabrak saw her. It was too late.

"Leaving, General?" he queried quietly. She turned back to look. He had been hunched over the workbench, working diligently on a dissected droid of some kind. She approached him with tentative steps, her eyes focused on the droid sitting just within her line of view. There was no way to bow out of a confrontation with him now.

"Was there something you wanted me for, General?" he asked without looking at her. She couldn't tell if he was disinterested with her or actually engrossed in his work.

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning over to take a look at his handiwork. Every adjustment he'd made to the faulty parts had been done with precision. Every bolt had been fastened at just such an angle, every scrap of metal fused and pieced together in just the right place. He was nothing if not a perfectionist when it came to his work. She supposed that was why he was the natural choice for building the Mass Shadow Generator, biological terror that it was.

"Just upgrading the ones that need repairs," he muttered under his breath, his concentration obviously focused on the task at hand. Igrayne leaned over him. She accidentally brushed up against him, trying hard not to register that the illicit touch had taken place. Bao-Dur said nothing, if he noticed. He continued oiling up the droid and working with the hydrospanner to pop open a faulty motivator. A few power packs were among the dissected pieces sitting on the tray in front of him.

His remote had been powered down for the night. She was grateful for that, otherwise her headache might have been insurmountable due to the little droid's excited beeps and boops. Over his shoulder, she could see his unmade bed, the covers pulled back as though he had just been sleeping in it. It was just big enough for two.

"I have a droid that needs repairing," she said suddenly. It was a blatant lie, and she didn't know why she said it.

"Bring it to me, General. I'll see what I can do."

She ran immediately back into the bunk she had chosen for herself in the port dormitory, rummaging through her small bag of personal effects until she found a deactivated mouse droid. In reality, there was nothing wrong with the droid—she had just never seen the need to keep it constantly powered. It was more of a novelty item or souvenir, so it was not as if it served any functional purpose.

Igrayne tore open the droid's power socket and tampered with a few of the wires. When she returned to the garage, she tried hard to hold the mouse droid steady in her hands as she walked. Balancing it was no easy feat as she closed the distance between her and Bao in a few short steps. He made a noise akin to a grunt and nodded toward the table. She placed the mouse droid down and let him go to work.

After a few moments of intensive study, he surfaced again.

"Hmmm. That's strange," he whispered in an undertone, prodding the lifeless droid a little. "It looks to be missing a power unit of some kind."

Igrayne blushed, hoping her mistake had been easily disguised, and that Bao-Dur would not see beyond the real reason. Whenever he was fixing things, it brought them closer together, same as when they meditated together in quiet quarters. It was as though all memory of their argument had evaporated into thin air.

"I'll have this fixed very soon, General."

Bao took one of his discarded power packs and worked it into the little droid. When he was done, he powered up the droid and watch it spin around the floor, banging into a few walls here and there, but for the most part, working just fine.

"It will take some time for it to adjust to the new power settings."

Igrayne raised an eyebrow.

"So is it going to keep doing that?"

The power droid continually rammed itself headfirst into one wall before collapsing with an exhausted whirr. It almost instantly powered down. Bao-Dur's face betrayed his dismay at having failed.

He bent and scooped up the little droid and opened its contents on the cluttered workbench again. Igrayne watched him fiddle with the droid a few moments longer, then moistened her lips with her tongue before she began speaking.

"It's fine."

"What?" His face turned instantly upward, the confusion apparent.

"I have the power cell in my dormitory."

His face turned toward the droid and back to her.

"Then why…?"

Igrayne balanced her hand on the workbench for support. She could feel the familiar fluttering in her stomach as she was overcome with a heated sensation that spread from her loins outward.

"Don't you already know?" she whispered. Bao-Dur's puzzled look reflected her change in behavior.

"General, there is much we must discuss first."

First. Igrayne was feeling a little too frisky for there to be a 'first.' Of course they would have to discuss things in great detail, but now was definitely not a time she wanted to be discussing them. She'd come here with one purpose in that mind, and she was determined to see that purpose fulfilled.

She jolted a little, rocked by the sudden movement of the ship. It was a lurch, as though the ship had just abruptly changed course. Bao-Dur felt it too. He reached out a hand to stabilize her and asked,

"Are you all right?"

She nodded, bracing herself with one hand against the wall. Another jolt from the ship's wavering direction sent Bao-Dur spiraling into her, pressing her up against the steel bulkhead. She could feel his heart pounding against hers, and hear his heavy breathing as he tried to steady himself by using the wall as a support. His face was lowered toward hers, however, so she did the only logical thing.

She kissed him.

Long and hard. She could feel him pushing her away at first, then slowly begin to subside to the urgency with which she kissed him. He wrapped his strong, muscular arm around her body, running his gloved hand through her hair. He still smelled like oil and grease, but she didn't care. She wanted to devour every inch of him in full sensory detail.

He pushed aside the shoulder of her thin shirt to kiss her exposed neck. He followed it downward with his mouth, pausing momentarily to look up at her. He had his hand cupping her face.

"General," he said softly, his eyes searching hers soulfully. He reached out to her with his mind. _I need to do this, or I will die inside._

She allowed him to undress her with as much speed as he could manage, and she in turn helped him out of his overalls and made sure that no other article of clothing was impeding them from fully enjoying one another.

It had taken them a few tries the last time to become accustomed to the workings of each other's bodies. While their anatomy didn't differ to a considerable extent, she'd had to make some adjustments for comfort. They now perfected a rhythm of moving together in such exquisite motion that Igrayne fearfully thought the whole crew might know how good it was making her feel. Before that pleasure could culminate, however, Bao-Dur had flipped her over and begun his lovemaking all over again, prolonging her enjoyment further than she would have liked.

Igrayne was panting from the assault, though Bao-Dur's slight grunts and groans were much more restricted. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the floor, moving with the ship's rhythm, adjusting their bodies to a more fluid motion to grant fuller access to the surmounting riches. Igrayne could feel herself losing control of all coherent thought. Bao continued, harder and faster, eliciting higher screams from her that she didn't seek to inhibit.

In moments, they had both finished, and she rolled over onto her back, watching the steel panels of the ceiling rattle in time with the ship's movement. Movement that had, mere moments ago, seemed so elegant and perfectly-suited to the needs of her body.

She moved up against Bao-Dur, running her hands up and down the length of his body. His eyes were closed as he said,

"No, General, I need a moment."

He grasped her wayward hand and forced it into a position against his chest. She rubbed his muscles in circles, letting her fingers trace over every groove and curve in his abdomen. She longed to stray further downward, but the Zabrak prevented her from following those thoughts to fruition.

Their panting died down until their normal breathing took hold again. Igrayne could feel her quickened heart rate, which had been accelerating moments ago, become more measured. Bao-Dur wrapped his good arm around her, trying to keep his other arm free of her so he wouldn't accidentally scorch her with it. Trying to maneuver around his mechanical arm while they were making love had proven a difficult feat. Igrayne had certainly been up to the challenge.

He traced his hand over the delicate skin of her arm, feeling suddenly inadequate.

"Why, General?"

"Why what?" she asked, pulling the blanket up over her exposed chest to prevent him from looking at her in such a manner. It was just her paranoia, though. Bao-Dur faithfully kept his eyes trained on her face.

"Why would you want me here with you? I am as he says…an alien."

She suddenly recalled the young Sith spouting offenses and curses at the zabrak while at the cantina on Korriban. She hadn't known it had affected him at all. He didn't act like it did…at the time.

"You're not just an alien," she said, sidling up to him to feel the warmth of his body. On some planets, their coupling would be regarded as immoral and illicit. Zabraks were meant for their own kind, and the same for humans. She knew how wrong they were, but the prejudice was still there. She was just always one step above him on the ladder. If anyone had seen him touching her in such intimate ways previously, he might have been killed for his conduct on some organized systems.

She clutched the blanket over her, leaning in to kiss him, putting all rational thought to rest. She didn't care what the rest of the galaxy thought about her and an alien. All that mattered was what she thought, and it wasn't revolting to her at all.

"I felt you, you know."

Bao-Dur looked puzzled.

"General?"

She bowed her head shyly, her black lashes skimming the skin of her cheeks as she searched for the proper way to voice her thoughts.

"I was in my quarters, clearing my mind, and it felt as if my thoughts…touched yours. You were remembering the last moments of Malachor V."

He looked embarrassed at the mention of this, but said nothing. She couldn't read deep into his thoughts, but if she had to guess what he was feeling, it was shame and anger. Shame that Igrayne could feel him through the Force. Anger at himself, for Malachor V.

"You're being serious," he said with astonishment.

"You were back on the ship," she said, "My ship. I was…with you. Inside you. I saw as you did. I watched through your eyes as I gave the final order. I could feel…everything."

She closed her eyes, absorbing the tremendous power that memory had conjured up. The vision had come to her so unexpectedly while she was meditating onboard the ship that it was nearly jarring.

"You are being serious. The Force lets you look right through me, huh?"

He reached out and stroked the hair back from her face.

"You and I have fought side by side for so long…and all this time I never understood. I could feel the hate, the rage, burning hot within you. But in the end, it was not anger that moved you. Not then, at the end of all things. It was simply not enough."

He lowered his eyes, not wishing to either confirm or deny this. She had already seen too deep into him, way beyond his comfort level, for him to be able to lie to her.

"General…"

"In the end," she interrupted, "You acted out of love…to save me."

His eyes were darkly shadowed, but he drooped his chin into a small nod. Igrayne pulled him to her by the horns, kissing his mouth hungrily. When they parted, her mouth was red and puckered open.

"Didn't you ever consider that I might feel something for you in return?"

By the guarded look on his face, she could safely say he didn't.

"General, I was just a tech. You hardly even noticed me. Even when we met again, years later, in Kevan's presence, you barely recognized me. I guess I was easy to overlook."

She cuddled up to him, pressing her head to his chest.

"Of course you weren't."

The footsteps echoing down the hallway didn't give them enough time to jump up from their positions. Igrayne merely tugged the strategically placed sheet higher, up to her chin. Bao-Dur's good hand gripped her arm firmly, his neck craned toward the door.

Atton entered, nearly stumbling over himself due to his limp. The scoundrel's eyes widened with surprise.

"Well, well, well," he said, a knowing intent in his eyes.

"Atton," Bao-Dur said, sitting up as he clutched the robe about his lower extremities. Atton had a smirk on his features as he looked them up and down, obviously amused with the discovery.

"I knew you two were having some fun in the garage together, but I didn't know you were having this much fun," he remarked smartly.

Bao-Dur stood up, keeping the blanket firmly in place so as not to make things more awkward for Atton.

"Atton," he said very calmly, "it is time for you to leave. You are harming her with your presence."

Atton cocked one eyebrow, more than happy to oblige them.

"All right, all right. I guess next time I'll just have to …_knock_…before entering."


	27. The Village of Rwookrrorro

Atton hobbled as fast as his leg would let him from the garage to the main hold. He glanced around the room with a huge smile on his face. It had been weeks since information this juicy had come into his hands. His eyes alighted on Evy, her long blonde hair framing her face and cascading over her shoulders. He was about to walk over to her to share his interesting revelation, when he saw Trentyn slide into the seat next to her. Atton paused to watch the interaction between the two.

Tren and Evy spoke in such soft tones that Atton could not hear them from his vantage point. He tried not to stare as Tren leaned forward in his chair, leaning both arms on his knees. Evy's eyes never left Tren's face as they talked and laughed together. Atton could not help but feel a pang of jealously as he saw the easy comfort between the two.

Trentyn made Atton nervous with the way he charmed everyone into liking him. Atton noticed that the only people on the ship who had not warmed up to Tren were Bastila, but she was a cold fish anyway, Han, who was jealous, and Carth, who had trust issues. When Atton had first met Tren, even he had admired the easy manner and charisma that Tren exuded.

Atton continued to watch, envy building, as Tren picked up one of Evy's luxuriant curls, bouncing it in his hand and making some sort of joke. Evy responded heartily, by kicking her head back in rich laughter.

Atton decided that he had quite enough, and he strode up as intimidating as he could with his injured leg.

"You mind?" he said to Tren, indicating that he wanted him to move from Evy's side with a rough nod.

"Sure, man," Tren said in a friendly voice, although it was obvious to the both of them that Atton was not pleased.

Trentyn stood up swiftly and gave Atton a companionable pat on the shoulder before walking away.

Atton sat down heavily in Tren's vacated seat, annoyed that Evy had not helped him sit.

"Now what was that all about?" she asked with an annoyed expression.

"Just claiming my territory, sweets," Atton replied with a charming smile.

"Your territory?" Evy's eyes were wide and she was obviously perturbed, "what am I, a plot of land?"

Atton shook his head in frustration; women always twisted his words around.

"Are you seriously threatened by Tren?"

"You're even calling him by his nickname now."

"Oh, please, Atton. Tren's like a brother figure to me."

"Must be a brother who flirts a lot," Atton shot back, envy flashing in his eyes.

Evy looked as if she were going to say something, but just stopped and laughed.

"What? What's so funny?" Atton said, confused about her reaction.

"I guess I need to convince you that I don't have eyes for Tren," Evy said, a mischievous air playing over her features.

"Yeah, I guess so," Atton replied nervously, wondering if this was another one of those tricks women played.

"Okay, then," she replied in the most casual voice she could muster, before leaning over and covering his lips with hers.

All thoughts of Igrayne and Bao and Trentyn fled from Atton's mind as Evy drew her arms around his neck, kissing him harder.

Carina, along with the rest of the crew that were in the main hold with Atton and Evy, stared open-mouthed at the amorous display before them. Carina had known Evy for a long time and she knew that this sort of behavior was not normal for her.

_It's that scoundrel. I didn't like him from the first time I saw him. If he hurts her, I swear I'll…_

Carina quickly exited the hold before she got sick. She walked briskly down the hallway before stopping suddenly. She heard gagging noises coming from the closed 'fresher door next to her. Either from the Force, or by instinct, she knew it was Rani.

Carina tapped softly on the door, "Rani, let me in."

A minute or so later, the door opened, and a very ill and sad looking Rani greeted her.

Carina walked into the good-sized 'fresher, closing and locking the door behind her.

She took in the appearance of Rani, before wordlessly removing a towel from the nearby rack and dousing it in warm water from the sink. As she wrung the towel out, she looked Rani straight in the eyes.

"Tell me what's going on."

Rani cast her eyes down, not answering. Carina walked up to Rani and, in a mother-like manner, gently helped her wipe her face.

"You know you can trust me, right? You can't keep whatever it is just bottled up inside…"

Rani stared back at Carina, her brown eyes ringed with dark circles.

"I'm pregnant."

Carina's heart dropped. And immediately she was mad… mad at Destrik for all the pain he was causing Rani. Carina hid her emotions as she put a protective arm around Rani.

"Let me take you to Mical."

Rani leaned into Carina, allowing her to lead her to the medbay. Carina worried profusely about Rani and her health. She had lost too much weight, the worries of the world had taken their toll on the woman.

Once they got into the medbay, Carina closed and double-checked that the door was locked before helping Rani onto the examination table. Then, she turned and faced Mical, her face mirroring the gravity of the situation.

"Mical, you need to examine Rani. She is pregnant."

Immediately, Mical realized that the father could not be Carth. No, if it were Carth, there would be happiness filling the room instead of sorrow.

Carina used the Force to speak into Mical's mind, "He raped her, the fracking bastard. Mical, just make sure she's okay, make sure she's as comfortable as you can, and then tell her to take better care of herself."

Mical nodded his understanding to Carina, Rani was none the wiser about the exchange.

Carina stayed by Rani's side during the examination. The friendship between the women had deepened. They were linked by understanding, and Rani would be eternally grateful for the caring presence of her friend.

After the lengthy process, Rani redressed and sat opposite Mical in a chair, with Carina, yet again, at her side.

"Rani, regardless of the pregnancy, your health will deteriorate if you do not start taking better care of yourself. I know that much is going on, but you must try your hardest to control your stress level. You need to eat more. I have some vitamins for you to start taking also."

Mical paused before continuing.

"The pregnancy is still in the earliest of stages. You have options. All it would take now to terminate it is one small pill."

Rani stared at Mical, her large eyes even larger with anxiousness.

"I understand that this is a tough decision, and you have about a week before more invasive procedures would be required to terminate the pregnancy."

Rani dropped her stare, tears running down her cheeks freely.

Carina hugged Rani as Mical took one of her hands in his.

"It is your decision. We will not judge it. We are aware of the circumstances." Mical's final words no longer took on the professional edge that he used with his patients.

As Rani left the medbay, she had to admit that her mind had quieted. Now that Carina and Mical knew, Rani felt as if she did not have to go through this alone. Rani had accepted the fact that she was pregnant, and she knew she had a big decision ahead of her, but she know felt ready to face it.

She walked into the room that Han had showed her earlier was for her use. Much to her surprise, Carth was in the room, doing pushups on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was my room," Rani said, backing out.

Carth leapt up from the floor and quickly met her near the door.

"It is, gorgeous. I've been waiting for you."

Rani was taken aback by how a few soft words from Carth could make her smile.

"Were you now?" she said, some playfulness sneaking into her voice.

Carth smiled back at her. His face looked much better, the tonic from Mical really did do wonders.

"What's that?" he questioned, noticing the bottle Rani held in her hand.

"Vitamins that Mical gave me," she replied, stepping into her room and placing them on the small table next to her bed.

"Are you okay?" Carth questioned, concern on his face.

"Well, I guess I need to be taking better care of myself," Rani answered purposely vague.

"Anything el—"

Rani quickly cut Carth off, she was not ready to leave any openings that might tempt her to tell him about the pregnancy.

"So, how do you know Bastila?"

"Oh, well we served together…" Carth began before he noticed the look on Rani's face.

Then he closed the distance between them. Rani backed up against the wall, and Carth leaned over her, one hand braced on the wall slightly above her shoulder, the other held her wrist gently.

"If I didn't know any better I would think that you might be jealous." His voice was low, husky, and Rani couldn't figure out what he wanted her to say.

"Just curious," she finally responded, trying not to swoon over the musky smell of him.

"So that's what brought you back to me, then?"

Rani was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, beautiful, I know you've been avoiding me."

The sad look in Carth's eyes made Rani want to push away the slight distance between their lips.

"Well, there is a lot going on…" she replied, aware that she sounded wounded.

"Rani, I really am sorry, for everything…for what I said to you…for how I treated you that day…"

"It's okay," Rani said placing her hand on his chest. For some reason, she liked touching his chest.

"No, it's not okay," Carth replied, still leaning over her. "I promise I'll never treat you that way again."

Rani smiled warmly, and at that Carth knew that she forgave him completely. He finally leaned down even further to kiss her.

Indy burst in the room, finding the two enjoying a romantic kiss.

"Admiral Onasi, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's news that you'll want to see…"

Indy never addressed Carth so formally.

Carth and Rani followed Indy out, into the main hold. The ship had many amenities, including a holo-news conduit. Everyone in the room surrounded it, eyes peeled on the image of the well-groomed newswoman who was reporting.

"And in other news, the successor to Saul Karath's position in the Sith, Master Destrik Naradi, has made a public announcement that his protégé has been given quite the promotion in the ranks of the Sith. The young Dustil Onasi is now considered the third highest-ranking official in the Sith. Sources say that…"

Rani felt Carth's hand tighten roughly around hers as the news of his son sunk in. The report ended, and everyone was silent.

Carth briefly loosened his hold on Rani's hand, digesting the gravity of the news. Indy flicked off the holo-news conduit, leaving the whole crew stewing in silence. Without saying anything, Carth took a few steps forward into the cargo hold to quarter himself off there. Rani didn't follow because she knew he needed time to sort things out. The news had taken them both completely by surprise.

"So, does anyone else here agree they didn't see that one coming?" Atton said sarcastically, crossing his arms. Evy jabbed him hard in the ribs.

"What?" he complained, after eliciting a yelp of pain. She merely froze him with her icy glare, which was enough to tell him that his stupid comment had really done it.

"It's good of him," Tren said thoughtfully, "Maybe now he'll have more opportunity."

Everyone collectively looked at Tren as though he had just betrayed them. Bastila, in particular, seemed taken aback by this profession.

"Excuse me, what did you say?"

Tren's mouth twisted into a wry grin.

"Oh, you know, just that Dustil's done well for himself."

"'Done well for himself?'" Bastila echoed, a copious amount of rage present in that tone. Her annoyance showed in her scrunched up features as she continued to stare at Tren. "How can you say such things with the Republic in danger of falling?"

"I have no great love for the Republic," Tren said bitterly, "Or didn't you notice?"

"Notice what? What is going on here?" Bastila demanded, hands poised on her hips as she looked about for an answer.

Tren's lips were already forming the inevitable comeback. Rani couldn't stop him from saying it now.

"Wow, for a Jedi you're not all that quick. I'm Sith. Pleasure to meet a fellow sworn enemy," he said, extending his hand in a mock show of goodwill. Bastila's eyes widened with terror, and she immediately unhooked her lightsaber from her belt, preparing to make short work of him. Her head swung in Carina's direction.

"And you said nothing of this to me? To Master Vrook?" she said accusatorily. "A Sith in your company can upset our plans."

"Plans? What plans? Somebody care to fill me in?" Tren asked, his eyebrow curving with interest. Indy solemnly watched the scene while Han was busy piloting the ship, too on edge to worry about the ensuing drama in the main hold.

"This is Bas—e" Igrayne began.

"No!" Bastila began, throwing up a hand toward her mouth as though to silence her. The damage had already been done, though. Tren unwrapped his arms from about his stomach and sat straighter in his seat.

"Bastila Shan? No, you're kidding me. Bastila's dead."

The once proud woman now looked guiltily at the floor. Tren looked equally disgusted at himself for having come on to her earlier in their voyage.

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday. A resurrected Jedi," Tren said quietly, his voice and tone far too dangerous and unreadable. Bastila merely glared coldly at Igrayne before turning on her heel to exit the main hold.

Tren looked at Rani.

"So, Sis, not exactly with the details, are you? Or were you keeping this from me, too?"

Rani dipped her shoulders into a defensive shrug. She was too fatigued to even address the problem at the moment, so she gave a characteristic answer to avoid it.

"Look, don't pin this on me."

"I refuse to be within two parsecs of that woman," Tren said, circling his thumb toward the cargo hold, through which Bastila had presumably burst.

"Really? A few hours ago you wanted to be in her pants. I'd say that's definitely less than two parsecs," Rani said, putting him in his place. Tren rolled his eyes and pretended he hadn't heard her as he went to seat himself across the room.

There wasn't much talking in the ship for the rest of the flight. Due to the argument that had just blown up, most of the crew members sought out different spots to be alone and meditate. The calming influence of the Jedi could be felt without and within the ship as the Force surrounded them.

Han announced their landing with a curt message over the intercom system. When they touched down on Kashyyyk, Igrayne looked through a small porthole and watched the horizon line, dotted with thousands of blue-green trees, come sharply into view. The whole scene was nearly eclipsed by the setting sun. A sun that she knew they would never again see once under the encompassing canopy. Kashyyyk was like a shadowland, with little light to feed it. The last time she had traveled here, it had taken her eyes weeks to adjust to the lack of light, and again when she returned to the bright desert worlds of the Outer Rim.

The ship gave a shudder as it hoisted itself down upon the platform. Han swung out of his pilot's seat, adjusting his headgear as he looked to the crew members.

"Thanks to the Jedi queen of the galaxy, we got that access number in time. Otherwise, things might've gotten unpleasant. Wookiees don't exactly roll out the welcome wagon when they see you comin'."

"I'll take your word for it," Igrayne commented, glancing sidelong at the Zabrak. Neither of them had spoken since Atton had discovered them together in the garage in a most compromising position. Perhaps she was embarrassed to broach the topic, but she couldn't account for him. Whatever his reasons, the Zabrak was silent about the whole affair. Again, she attributed it to the characteristics of his race. Zabraks weren't exactly known for their touchy-feeliness. They were staid and somber, and very well-disciplined. That was why most of them went into the service, or trained to be Jedi: they turned out excellent soldiers.

She wondered if some of Bao-Dur's frustration stemmed from that fact. He had never been utilized in battle, other than his simple skill with mechanics. Nor had he ever earned an ounce of glory, other than the negative attention that the Mass Shadow Generator had fed off. Perhaps he was beginning to feel overlooked and underutilized.

"Let's go. Unless you want to stand around here all day," Han said, slipping into his black short flight jacket. One by one, the crew exited the ship.

They congregated at the bottom before walking across the stick structure to the opposite side. A welcoming hut with a warm fire in the middle of it stretched just beyond them. Wookiees were tree people who had constructed an elaborate set of bridges and dwellings completely of the wood from their forest. Traveling this way gave them all time to marvel at the skill that had been wrought with the Wookiees' skilled claws.

As they headed toward the hut to meet their contact—Bastila had expressly stated they were to meet a fellow called Freyyr who would then conduct them to the chieftain, Chuundar—a loud explosion sounded. All at once, the crew members stopped in their tracks and spun around to feel the hot flames of a fire licking their faces.

"What the…?" Han said, shortly before another blast was fired. Indy covered him with her body, shoving him down to avoid being devoured by the heat. All the crew members covered their heads as the fire engulfed the air above them.

"What was that?" Igrayne asked, when she was sure it was safe and all over with.

Bao-Dur pushed his body up with the strength in both arms. She could see his muscles trembling from the effort, but he was very strong and able to support himself in such a position.

"Looks like our welcoming party has arrived," the Zabrak said softly.

"I don't believe it," Bastila whispered, her eyes locked on their now-smoldering mass of a ship. Rani pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling like she was going to be sick.

"Looks like the Sith got wind of our coming before we arrived," Carth commented nastily, eyeing Tren, who stood a few paces from him. Tren inched away from the angry Admiral, who was glaring daggers at him.

"Or," Han said, picking up a piece of scrap metal left over by the remains, "They already knew we were taking the Eagle, and they planned it to self-destruct on arrival to make it look like engine failure."

"A convenient accident," Atton breathed, suddenly understanding.

Rani glanced over at her brother, horrified. He and Indy were the only ones with any Sith ties, and somehow she suspected that allegiance was much stronger on Tren's side than Indy's.

"What? So you look to the logical culprit?" Tren asked. "Don't assume anything before you find out the answer."

"It was you," Bastila stated, getting up in his face. She flattened her palm against his chest, ensuring that he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. "You overheard Master Vrook speaking of me in the Council chamber, and you plotted to destroy me along with the ship—once you were off, of course."

"I don't like what you're insinuating," Tren said, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits in his head.

"I think you know more than you let on," Bastila answered, "And perhaps, when hearing that I was the Jedi answer to the looming threat of the Sith, you decided that dispatching with me would be in your—and your master's—best interest."

"I wouldn't kill my sister, even for you," Tren replied coldly. "Of course, you damn Jedi don't bother to ask. You just accuse without justification. You think that just because you've met one bad egg of the batch, we're all bad. You all think in absolutes."

"And you are very quick to generalize and patronize us Jedi, as well," Bastila said, going head-to-head with him.

Tren looked away.

"I don't care. Just get out of here, Jedi."

"Wasn't that what you were planning to do by blowing up our ship?" Bastila presumed.

"Oh, for Force's sakes! For the last time, I didn't blow up our ship!" Tren said. "And I don't know anyone who would with me on board."

"Face it, kid, you're just a number to them—not a name. You left that behind a long time ago when you joined the Sith," Carth said, his voice gaining authority. "If they saw it was in their best interests to terminate Bastila with you onboard, they wouldn't hesitate. You wouldn't even have a chance."

"Shut up!" Tren said, growing increasingly frustrated with the Admiral. Just when he was about to storm off in some unknown direction, the old Wookiee named Freyyr emerged from the tiny wood hut. He was looking very displeased.

The Wookiee noted that Bastila was among the group and welcomed them in to the hut, albeit reluctantly. Bastila took off her traveling cloak and placed it, untouched, on the back of his chair.

"Bastila," the Wookiee said in a series of growls that were characteristic of the Shyriwook language widely spoken on Kashyyyk's planetside. "It is good to see a familiar face."

Its expression was unreadable, until the others stepped into the entranceway to the tiny hut. The Wookiee stood up, his head nearly meeting with the ceiling as he growled,

"What, more of Czerka's slavers?"

"Peace, Freyyr," Bastila said, one outstretched hand pressed against his massive chest, though if he wanted to, he would have no difficulty with pushing her back. "These are my friends. They are the ones Vrook told you about in his transmission that you intercepted."

The Wookiee bowed its head, showing its teeth in a submissive growl.

"Forgive me. Slavers come and go so frequently through our markets."

"Freyyr," Bastila said, stooping to one knee. "I'm afraid time is of the essence, so I'll get straight to the point. As you know, Master Vrook contacted you about guiding us through the Shadowlands to Chuundar's Hall, in Rwookrrorro. We were viciously attacked before we had scarcely set two feet on firm land, however."

The Wookiee's head bobbed toward the door.

"Yes," it spoke with a growling hiss, "I smelled the flames from here. I was worried you might have been harmed in the crash."

"We are quite fine, thank you," Bastila said curtly, the assurance a vapid one, without weight or meaning.

The Wookiee bowed his head as he walked over toward the burnt embers of a leftover fire above his hearthstone.

"I am afraid I cannot convey you to Chuundar, though," the creature said in a guarded whisper. Bastila nearly blanched.

"What?"

"I have been banished by Chuundar," the Wookiee howled, though he offered no further explanation. He proceeded to stoke the dying embers of the fire mindlessly with a stick. Atton moved a little further away from the hulking mass of a creature, the fear apparent in his eyes. Evy allowed him to lean his weight against her as she whispered a word or two of comfort in his ear.

"Well, that certainly changes things," Bastila muttered under her breath. Tren sat uncomfortably close to her. It was all too obvious that his sudden aversion to Bastila was brought on by their little spat.

"Change? What does it change?" Admiral Onasi asked, his voice scratchy from the lack of sleep. His eyes were deeply rimmed with red, too—almost as though he'd been crying. Rani knew exactly what the root cause of his haggard appearance was--Dustil. His son had occupied and consumed his every waking thought as of recently, and the current news he'd been delivered was devastating.

"Well, we can't go unescorted through the Shadowlands, can we?" Bastila snapped. Carth squared his shoulders back, primed for the attack.

"Oh, no, sister. You're not the one cutting deals and making decisions here, I am."

Bastila looked at the Admiral from under lowered lids. Her nose was pointed into the air as she said,

"Carth, if we are to be working together on this expedition, it would be in our best interest to perhaps agree on some things."

"I'll agree on one thing: you're totally unfit to command this expedition," Carth replied. Bastila looked about ready to snap back with some retort when Freyyr replied,

"Calm, my friends. There is no use in senseless fighting."

The Wookiee's low growl was enough to make them put aside the argument long enough to decide on some other course of action. Freyyr explained further that if he were seen at Chuundar's Hall, he would be killed upon sight.

"What do we need a guide for?" Atton queried. Mical looked utterly annoyed by the stupidity of his question.

"We cannot very well go trekking around the forest unprotected, can we? There are people among us without military or combat training. It would be suicide without a proper escort."

Rani looked sheepish. Most of the others were fighters by nature, but she had only really gotten her first taste of killing by dispatching the two Sith who were threatening Carth.

"The doc's got a point," Han said, perfecting his gleaming smile to throw at Indy. She was busy glaring at Tren, though.

"Well, all we've agreed upon is that we don't agree," Bastila said with annoyance. "This kind of debating won't get us anywhere."

"I prefer action to talk myself," Han said, making himself comfortable by throwing his boots up on a small table.

"The answer is quite simple," Freyyr replied. He stirred the fire a little more. "Kevan will take you."

For the first time, the Zabrak was stirred by the news. He had been sitting quietly in the corner until now.

"Kevan is here?" Bao-Dur queried. He hadn't expected him to be so close. Kashyyyk was a big planet, lots of places to get lost in. Fortunately, Kevan had picked the right one.

"Yes, and from what I understand, he has been searching for you, _Zabrak_," the Wookiee said, a tinge of disdain coloring the word.

This was news to everyone else, who merely looked to Bao-Dur for an explanation of some kind. He braced both hands upon his knees, seeing no need to explain himself, but doing so anyway.

"I made contact with Kevan while on Dantooine. We agreed to meet on Kashyyyk, but I hadn't known he was so close."

There was definite excitement in that tone. His old master and mentor from his days in the fleet was like a father figure to him; this, Igrayne knew for fact.

"And you were going to tell us this when?" Carina asked, shaking her head at him in disbelief.

"You didn't need to know at the time," Bao-Dur merely said, snubbing her.

"Well, let's go meet this Kevan guy and see what we can cook up," Han said, swaggering to his feet. The crew members thanked Freyyr for his hospitality in turn, then filed out of the hut, one by one.

Outside, slavers were plying their wares, trying to make a fortune on outlandish prices for goods that most often didn't deliver. The crew stepped past them and into the center of the thatch pad holding them up.

"Greetings," a voice called. Igrayne's recognition was sparked when Kevan ambled into view, favoring his leg a little. She wasn't surprised, after the wound he'd taken the last time they parted. Despite being fried alive by a ship's malfunctioning units, he still looked to be in pretty good condition.

Bao-Dur went forward to greet him first, clasping his arm in a show of trust and loyalty. Igrayne meandered over to salute Kevan.

"You're doing better!" she mused.

"No thanks to him," Kevan said, nodding toward Mical, "I owe him my life."

"Mical's not exactly the kind to accept a life-debt, so don't bother," Carina joked, her hand possessively fixed upon Mical's shoulder. The young doctor fought back the urge to smile.

Kevan's good nature was showing as he greeted each of the crew members. He nodded back to Igrayne, saying,

"General, it is good to be working with you again."

"And with you, Kevan."

Kevan's brow ridged with interest as he surveyed the rest of the crew, noticing some unfamiliar faces for the first time.

"I see you've acquired some new recruits since we last met. Your company has expanded comparatively."

Igrayne nodded.

"Yes it has..."

Bastila again pushed her way to the head of the group to commune with the Zabrak.

"Kevan, can you take us to Chuundar?"

The Zabrak bowed his head, revealing a crown of horns and a long, thin strip of hair braided down over his shoulders.

"Yes, Bastila. I've allied myself with him almost since landing on Kashyyyk. As with Freyyr."

"Is there some kind of an argument between them?" Indy asked, tipping up her fedora to better view the Zabrak.

"A minor clan dispute," Kevan said, "It should resolve itself in time."

"I am glad to hear that."

Kevan's eyes scanned over the new faces.

"Are you all accounted for? It is best we leave straightaway."

After voicing their approval, Kevan led them over to a small lift that stood at the corner of the matted floor. They were all herded into it, as Kevan pushed a lever that brought them spiraling downward, through the trees' canopies, into a mass of neverending leaves and branches. Igrayne looked up, noticing for the first time how high the sky seemed above her and how the canopy ate up the sun entirely.

Rani was almost bent double on the ride down, one arm firmly attached to the support beams as she fought back the urge to vomit. Carth rested a hand on her shoulder, trying to coach her through the gagging episode. When they touched down on firm ground, however, Rani seemed just fine.

Kevan equipped himself with dual vibroblades, both of which looked sharp and ready to be thrust at any second. They walked through the underbrush silently. They encountered a few small beasts here and there and made short work of them, but for the most part their walk was unhindered.

They reached the village of Rwookrrorro. Though the gates were closed, the sight of Kevan forced them open by the guards stationed at each of the towers atop the thin line of defense that served as a barricade. Obviously, Kevan was well-liked enough for them to trust him. When they saw the others, however, they were about to unleash the doors to close in their face.

"They're with me," he explained, which gave them cause enough to reopen the doors to admit the others.

Kevan led them down a long, rickety passage into the heart of the town. They stopped by a circular building and waited for admittance. When they entered Chuundar's Hall, the Wookiee graciously heaped his hospitality upon the new arrivals, offering them to sit and eat some of the specialty dishes that had been made for the night's meal.

Igrayne slid into the overlarge table—tables that were designed to hold the bulk of Wookiees' weight and probably even then buckled under them. She felt like a tiny child as she sat at the table. Carina slipped in beside her, Rani two beats away on the opposite end of the table with Evy and Indy.

"You must forgive my guards," Chuundar said in Shyriwook, "They spook at the slightest sign of movement in the jungle woods. Many creatures have forged an attack on us lately, so you will understand that we are alert at any sign of danger."

As he spoke, the courses were served—steaming hot rootleaf stew and some other, more solid foods. Atton groaned at the first taste of the stew, shoving it aside with disgust before commenting to Evy about real men needing to eat meat.

"Master Vrook told me that you needed to be sheltered here. There's no war yet on this planet. I hope you didn't bring it with you," the Wookiee said, his brow ridge lifting slightly.

"There is no need to worry," Bastila replied, "Things are quite all right."

"What are you talking about?" Carth gaped. "We suffered an attack on our lives as soon as we landed—a Sith attack!"

Bastila particularly resented the fact that he revealed this tidbit of information to the Wookiee chieftain.

"If they encroach on our city, I will send you away," Chuundar replied, "Master Vrook understands this, and so now do you."

Bastila nodded her head in accordance with his wishes, accepting the terms that he offered.

"And now that Master Vrook's charges have been comfortably situated with you, I must leave immediately and return to Da..." She stopped the words from flowing out of her mouth, sending a quick glance over at Tren before rethinking the statement. "I need a ship to replace the one I've lost."

"I'll have my guardsmen prepare a ship for you, but you must stay the night and partake of our hospitality," the Wookiee chieftain said. It was clear he would have been offended had she not accepted the invitation, so she did.

The feast lasted far longer than Igrayne would have liked it to. Most of the crew members were headily engaging in drinking contests, and still others were thoroughly engrossed in conversations. Like Kevan and Bao-Dur. Whatever it was they were muttering about in hushed tones, she certainly wasn't going to become privy to it.

"Come on," Carina urged. "You need to loosen up. Have some fun!"

Igrayne shook her head and looked away, sitting stock still on the one beam that served as a bench.

"No. I can't stomach Wookiee drinks."

Rani seemed to share her opinion, faithfully abstaining from any amount of wine throughout the night. Igrayne wondered if it had something to do with her upset stomach after the ride through the Shadowlands.

"I know something she can stomach," Atton said, mischief glinting in his eyes. Igrayne thought she would be sick, too. She wondered if Atton had already spouted her business, or if he was merely saving it to tell to the whole group when they were fully sober. Whatever grand design he had in mind, she wished he'd just make it known already...

Kevan said, in an attempt to make polite conversation,

"General, how has your campaign been thus far?"

Igrayne teased her hair a little and laughed it off.

"I would _hardly_ call it a campaign. Expedition is more fitting. And it's going great, thanks. I couldn't have asked for a better crew."

She forbid herself from looking at Bao-Dur as she said this, knowing it would make her cheeks redden. Kevan didn't seem to sense that anything was amiss. He got up to go and speak with Chuundar. Igrayne suddenly felt very lonely. She raised herself from her chair and went for a walk outside.

Aside from a few guards standing watch at the Hall's entrance, the town was pretty much deserted. Igrayne strolled down the pathway to a small balcony overlooking a wooded glen. It was good to clear her mind of everything.

A few moments passed and she heard laughing as Evy and Atton exited the Hall, Atton's arm slung casually about her neck. Obviously, they both had too much to drink and they were not ignorant of this fact. They loudly and happily proclaimed it to all who would listen as they walked by and disappeared from view.

More of the Hall's occupants scattered from the entrance, then she noticed Bao exiting with the rest of him, his gaze fixed in her direction as he walked off toward another of the buildings Chuundar had designated as their living quarters for the next few days and possibly weeks.

She noticed Bao diverted his course, clearly steering a way toward her the first chance he got. She wondered what he was going to say to her, and her heart hammered away in her chest.

"General," he greeted her with the usual acquiescing nod of the head. She brushed a strand of hair over her ear, casting her eyes to the ground very shyly. They were perhaps the only two who had not been drinking, with the exception of Kevan, Mical, and of course, Rani.

"What were you two discussing?' Igrayne asked, leaning out over the thin railing, which wasn't doing its job. She felt like she would plummet headfirst at any minute into the lush carpeting of the forest below.

"Things, General. Tactics, lessons. It has been a long while since I've seen my old master," Bao said, gazing all around the canopy of the trees. It was very calming and relaxing just to stand in the presence of such beautiful trees that Kashyyyk had grown and cultivated through years of plotting and tending the land.

"Are you planning on building another technological wonder to turn the tide of this battle with the Sith?" she asked aloud.

"I would not use such underhanded tactics now."

"You know better?" she queried, to which he simply nodded, cutting off any response she was going to supply him with.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

If she didn't know any better, Bao was being moody. His expression was clouded and unreadable.

Her hand found his on the railing, covering it in a possessive gesture. He turned to face her, allowing her to grip his hard muscles with her hands and feel every inch of him up and down. The Zabrak looked uncomfortable with such contact in a public place.

"General..." he said tentatively.

She looped her hand under his collar and with the other, unhooked one of his straps. She traced her finger across each tattoo mark that led to the crest of his horns, letting her fingers stroke across the nubs to invoke a look of torturous ecstasy in him.

"Igrayne...we can't," he said, gripping her by the shoulders, his voice breathless and jagged. She knew at once what he said was true. It was too public a place for them to engage in another display of affection, but she could hardly wait a few days just to be with him again. And that's exactly what it would have been. Days, possibly weeks or months before they were permitted to leave Kashyyyk—assuming the impending Sith threat didn't force them out first.

She still had her hand pressed up against the molded curves of his chest, toned from years and years of hard menial labor and tech work, when she felt a presence approaching. They both turned to see Kevan coming toward them, a confused expression on his face as he digested what he saw before them. Igrayne immediately retracted her hand, though it was too late. She might as well left it where it was, for all the good it did her.

Kevan stiffened his spine as they pulled apart from one another.

"General," he said, locking both arms together behind his back, "Bastila has requested your presence in her quarters."

She put a hand on his shoulder to propel her forward.

"Thank you, Kevan."

She dragged her step and looked back a little, watching a very concerned-looking Kevan speaking in harsh tones to Bao-Dur. Bao endured most of the verbal onslaught with admirable restraint. Igrayne could hear the words "General" and "not suitable" pop up a number of times. In Kevan's eyes, she was still their superior, the woman to whom they had listened at the battle of Malachor V. She could never be anything more to him than that. An ideal.

She walked slowly away, closing her eyes, ashamed that Kevan was so surprised by their budding relationship and the fact that they both had tried to conceal it for him. The Zabrak was now adamantly talking Bao out of any kind of interaction with her, except when it was strictly on a professional basis.

Perhaps she needed Kevan as incentive for her to quit this relationship...if it could even be called that. Most likely, they were two lonely souls seeking comfort in one another, scarred by the memories of open, gaping wounds inflicted long ago.

Was she merely using Bao-Dur to fill a void in her own empty life? Igrayne shook the thought away, walking toward Bastila's quarters, which she shared with the rest of the ship's females.

The tech had always held a special place in her heart--a kindred spirit, of a kind, who had been with her and seen everything she had seen at that final decisive battle at Malachor V. It was this sole connection that opened up the gate to the tenuous position in which they were now in.

And it had been entirely of her own doing.

Igrayne smoothed her hair out briefly before entering the hut that was given over to accommodate all the women in the ship. Once she entered the room, Igrayne was surprised at the comfort and coziness the room exuded. Looking at the outside, the structure looked little more than a bamboo hut, but inside, lush tapestries adorned the walls, and home-spun rugs covered the floor. Rani laid on one of the beds, beside a sitting Carina, both were engaged in some sort of serious conversation by the looks on their faces. Indy was sprawled across the most comfortable looking rug, going over some ancient manuscripts that she had kept in her knapsack. Evy was not in the room, and Igrayne assumed that she was engaging in some intoxicated fun with Atton.

Igrayne's eyes continued to sweep the room until they finally alighted on Bastila. The Jedi stood, both hands on her hips, and a superior expression on her face as she looked at Igrayne. Igrayne hated how Bastila could make her feel like a fool with one debasing look.

"Igrayne, how kind of you to finally answer my summons," Bastila started, sarcasm dancing in her voice.

Igrayne already knew that she would not like the coming conversation.

"Let us find somewhere more private to discuss things, shall we?" Bastila stated, throwing a look at Indy and Rani.

Igrayne wordlessly followed Bastila's lead. The haughty woman lead her to a private overlook of the forest. Igrayne's curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked over the edge, trying to find the forest floor that was lost among the mists.

"Igrayne, I had been warned by the Jedi Council that your mind was not where it should be, and yet still I had hoped to find a worthy companion in you."

The tone that Bastila used was almost scolding, and Igrayne felt shame along with a touch of anger building inside of her.

"The Jedi Council assumes much from speaking to me so little," Igrayne answered, determined not to let Bastila discipline her as if she were a small child.

"The Jedi Council," Bastila began, continuing her infuriating tone, "knows much more than even you do."

Igrayne said nothing, only raised an eyebrow.

"The Jedi Council had taken it upon themselves to learn as much as they could about your hodge-podge crew," Bastila said, carefully enunciating her words, "and they know about the dangerous connections that many of them have."

"Are you speaking about Trentyn?" Igrayne asked, knowing that Bastila would probably soon admonish her for being the reason that Tren knew her identity.

"Yes, him among others," Bastila said, "which reminds me of my reason for this discussion. I am very disappointed in your lack of judgment. I had thought that you would have been intelligent enough to realize that I did not wish Trentyn to know my true identity."

Igrayne was angry. She didn't care who Bastila was to the Jedi or what she had done, that was no way to speak to someone.

"You have recently joined us, that is why I will excuse your abrupt manner. You have no idea what we have gone through. All of us. This crew. We are all in this together. And I assure you, no one will leak any information."

Igrayne said this with more confidence than she felt, but she couldn't stand the way that Bastila came and acted as if she knew everything about everyone in the crew.

"I see," Bastila said, her blue eyes locked on Igrayne's, "well, you must remember Igrayne, what is important here, the restoration of the Republic. If we are to do that, we need to win the upcoming battle."

"I agree," Igrayne said, thankful that Bastila had slowed her verbal assult.

Bastila had turned her back as if she were finished with the conversation, but turned back around with a second thought.

"Are you sure that you have the complete loyalty of the scoundrel, Atton?"

Igrayne wanted to say yes, but knew that she couldn't. Instead, she offered another reason why she was not worried about Atton.

"Atton was part of the Sith, but he left that life. He is close with Evy, she is loyal to the Republic, and I seriously doubt he will do anything against her."

Bastila nodded, "and the archeologist, Indy?"

"Yes, I trust her. She may not be a Republic enthusiast, but she hates the Sith."

Bastila nodded again. "And Rani?"

Igrayne was startled by the question until she remembered that Rani and Trentyn were siblings.

"I have hope for Trentyn, only because of Rani. He is very protective of his sister, and she wants him to turn away from the Sith. I suppose you know the story, of why he joined the Sith in the first place? He is angry with the Republic, but I believe once he sees the evil in the Sith, he will leave them."

"Where Trentyn's loyalties lie is not what I am worried about, it is Rani's," Bastila said, "I understand the circumstances under which the child was conceived, but if she is to keep it, how can we trust the woman who is carrying Master Destrik's child?"

Igrayne took a shaky step back as the implication of what Bastila was saying sunk in.

"You did not know?" Bastila asked Igrayne, almost smugly.

"How did you know?" Igrayne questioned her, shock on her face.

"The Council has their ways of knowing things," Bastila replied vaguely, "but it is the truth, ask her yourself if you doubt me. Or even ask your friend Carina, or Mical, they also know. You should learn a lesson, Igrayne, of the complications that such connections can bring."

With that, Bastila turned sharply on her heels and left Igrayne to her troubled thoughts.

---------------

Carina was drunk. No, not drunk..._ridiculously_ drunk. She hadn't been this drunk since...actually, she'd never been this drunk. She had, unbeknowst to her at the time, started drinking one of the most potent Wookiee drinks that they had set out for the guests.

And now she was paying the price, dearly. She was seeing three of everything, and anything she said came out slurred, much to her embarrassment. _Note to self: pay attention to what you're drinking, you idiot,_ she silently reprimanded herself.

She stood, preparing to leave...but then wobbled and fell back into her chair. She knew she must look as bad as Evy and Atton did at the moment...but at least she wasn't flirting with anyone...thank the Force for letting her keep that much of her dignity.

"Are you all right?" a familiar accented voice asked her.

_Damn, I guess the Force has decided not to let me keep my dignity after all...thanks a lot, Force._ She groaned inwardly.

"Yus," she managed to say, keeping the slur to a minimum. Mical was the last person she wanted to see her completely wasted.

He raised an eyebrow...actually, to Carina, he raised several eyebrows. "Are you certain?"

"Mical...I's fine. If you'll 'scuse me—" Carina said, trying to stand again, but then collapsing right back in her chair. "Sith spit."

"Here, let me help you—" Mical began, reaching down to help her up.

She pulled her arm away. "No! I'm—fine."

"Obviously you are not. You've ingested too much of whatever that vile drink is. Let me help you back to your room," Mical said reasonably.

"My room?"

"Yes."

"Not our room?"

Mical shifted uncomfortably. "No, only your room."

"What a disappointment," Carina murmured, having no clue what she was saying or doing at this point.

"Come on," Mical tried again, helping her stand. This time she allowed him to assist her in the task of standing.

She looked at him, and flipped her hair back behind her shoulders, smiling flirtatiously. "You have beautiful eyes."

"Thank you," Mical said, blushing slightly. "So do you."

Carina smiled at that comment. Then she frowned, feeling a headache beginning to come on. She rested her head on Mical's shoulder as he guided her back to her room.

Igrayne then came out of seemingly nowhere, and Mical could tell just by the way she held herself that she was angry. Igrayne walked up to them, hands on her hips.

"Carina, why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"Igrayne—" Mical began.

"Save it, Mical, I'm talking to Carina," Igrayne snapped. "Why didn't you tell me that bastard Destrik got Rani pregnant?"

Mical sighed inwardly. "Igrayne, now's not really the time..."

"Okay, just cause she's wasted, Mical, doesn't mean A) she'll sleep with you or B) she'll be unable to answer my questions," Igrayne retorted angrily.

Mical was astonished by the very implication of the first thing she'd said. To even think he'd take advantage of her in her current state was unfathomable.

Carina moaned. "Must you talk so loud?"

"Yes, I must. Why didn't you tell me?" Igrayne repeated, frustrated at Carina's unwillingness to answer her questions.

"Enough, Igrayne," Mical said, a sort of fierce protectiveness evident in his voice. "Wait until the morning to speak with her...but I will not allow you to bombard her with questions while she's obviously in pain."

Igrayne looked down, a bit ashamed. "All right, sorry, I'm just—you know what? It doesn't matter. Good night, Mical, Carina."

And with that, Igrayne left to go distract herself with other matters...

--------------

Indy opened the Book of Death and held the cold spine in her lap, her eyes scanning over the ancient Sith markings, trying to make some sense of the nearly foreign language. She was reading by the light of some small candle. Outside, it had started to rain heavily, subjecting her to holing herself up inside the warmth of the hut. She heard several scattered screams as drunken people fled from the rain, ducking under the overhanging roof for cover.

She tried to steady her mind to return to her reading. The only clues that brought her any closer to finding the Book of Life was something involving an ancient Sith lord's resting place. She couldn't translate the last word of the sentence, though, which was the crucial ingredient in uncovering the whole mystery. She shifted sideways on her cot to better accomodate her aching body.

Han had returned briefly to check on her. She told him was busy and shut the door. He probably thought she was out consorting with Tren, which couldn't be further from the truth.

Her hands skimmed the pages, almost feeling the power of the dark magic that was in them. Time was crucial to getting the other book before the Sith did.

She suddenly recalled something. The word she'd been messing up had something to do with forests...or woodlands. She searched her mind. If the book was hidden in a forest, then it was most likely on Kashyyyk. Somehow, that didn't make sense. None of the Sith had ever made a point of traveling to Kashyyyk and having anything notable come of the venture. She highly doubted one would be buried here.

Her mind snapped to attention. Dxun. That was the only reasonable explanation. Dxun's moon, Onderon, had suffered losses at the start of the war, where Igrayne, Carina, and Evy worked as part of the war effort during and after the bombings. Nearby Dxun was home to the Mandalorians, so they'd never had a need to travel there.

Indy shut the book and shoved it to a small table beside her cot, the sudden movement disturbing the candle's flame with a flicker. They'd have to seek out Dxun, to find the last remaining tomb of a so-called Sith Lord. Therein would lie the Book of Life.

It all made sense now.

Indy rushed outside to nearly be toppled over by a drunk Atton and Evy, who were having fun playing in the rain. Indy raised an eyebrow but merely went forward to shake Evy's shoulder.

"Hey, a word," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the warm, welcoming hut. Evy obediently followed her in, but when Atton approached, Indy shut the door in his face.

"Hey!" Evy said, giggling. "That's my date for the night!"

"This is serious, so sit down," Indy commanded. Evy's blue eyes became very large and scared, but she did as Indy asked.

"We need to get to Dxun, pronto."

"Duckssssun?" Evy slurred, giggling when she couldn't pronounce it quite right.

"Yeah," Indy said, crouching down next to her, "I think the Book of Life might be there. If the Sith catch onto this clue, they'll be after it too. I want to get to it before the Sith do. Only problem is the Jedi Queen won't let us leave Kashyyyk without Master Vrook's permission. The Jedi Council wants to suspend us here for a reason. They're afraid of us," she stated, to effect.

Evy nodded her head in time to some unheard song. She looked like she was on the verge of drifting to sleep.

"We could wait till Bastila leaves," Evy suggested, "then take off without his permission."

"Not likely to happen anytime soon," Indy responded. "In case you haven't noticed, we're stuck with her since our ship blew up."

"Well, Atton has been suggesting he and Carth leave her stranded in the middle of the Shadowlands..." Evy said, getting a faraway, wistful look in her eyes. Indy raised an eyebrow. "What? I was only kidding!"

"Well, whatever. Just see what we can do about getting to Dxun."

"Sure. Is that all?" Evy asked. When Indy nodded, she ran outside to commence with her little rain party with Atton. They were both running around outside, making quite a spectacle of themselves.

Indy groaned and rolled her eyes.

_This is whose hands the fate of the galaxy rests in? May the Force help us all…_

-------------

Carina allowed Mical to escort her back to the hut. When she went in, the entire room was vacated, and Indy's books lay scattered about the table. She walked in, stumbling a little before Mical caught her and balanced her body against his lithe frame.

"Careful!" he replied, his hands clamping around her waist to keep her steady. "You don't want to hurt yourself."

Carina threw back her head and laughed at this as though it were the funniest thing in the world. Mical seemed surprised, particularly because he had not said a joke.

"Let me get you to bed," he said, leading her by the shoulders to the small cot she occupied in the back corner of the little hut. She sat down on the mat floor and crossed both legs. Mical crouched down, moving aside his robes to give him better flexibility. He implored her to extend her legs so he could start unlacing her boots. As he did this, Carina began humming.

"My head hurts," she complained, frowning. Mical looked up, setting one boot beside the other.

"I can give you a tonic, but you must promise me you'll rest in order to give it time to work."

"Yeah, sure."

"Lay down."

His palm flattened against her chest, soothing her back into the blankets. Carina smiled, cozying up in the cot, though it was not the most comfortable bed in the world. Mical rummaged through his personal effects and took out a small dosage of some kind of health potion, which he portioned off before handing to Carina. She downed it as though it were merely another drink.

"Whoa! Good stuff!" she exclaimed.

"You'll want to get some rest," Mical said disapprovingly, watching her from under lowered lids.

Carina smoothed her disheveled hair back from her brow, extending one arm to him.

"Can you help me get undressed?"

A moment of silence passed while a shadow flickered over Mical's dubious features.

"I don't think it—"

"Please," Carina said, softening her voice. It was full of honeyed sweetness, just enough to tempt Mical to accept the offer.

"Very well."

He took her forcefully with both arms and sat her up in bed, tugging off one arm of her coat and then the other. When she was down to her last flimsy layer of clothing, he wrapped her up in a warm blanket and made her lie down. He kneeled over her, his face hovering close to hers.

"There. Rest, now. When you awake, your headache will be gone."

Carina didn't know whether it was impulse or something she had been wanting to do all along, but the proximity of Mical's face, coupled with his intoxicating sweet smell made her lean forward and capture his lips fiercely. The doctor was unsure at first, but the tension in his body dissipated, and he began responding to her kiss.

She wrapped both arms around his neck, trying to pull him down onto her. Mical pinned her beneath him, propping his weight up with both arms as he bent down to kiss her shyly. He had never done something quite this bold before.

"Carina," he said breathlessly, in between kisses, "We can't do this."

"Why not?" she replied angrily, reaching forward to nip at his lower lip. She could feel a shiver run down the length of his spine. His eyes looked clouded when she pulled away.

"Be...because I am afraid I cannot control myself," he said dangerously, and she could definitely sense him wavering along the line of commitment and desertion. At that moment, he might have done something he'd regretted by turning his back on his renewed vows to the Jedi Code. At the last minute, though, his overwhelming sense of propriety had saved him.

He crossed the hut to the opposite end of the room in seconds, and turned off the light source. In the dark, she could see his silhouette in the door frame.

"Get some rest," he said, his voice trembling, his heart and mind shaken by the kiss. He emerged into the rain and she watched his tall, lean form pass the only open window of the hut and disappear into obscurity before recounting all the details of the kiss. It had brought back painful memories of their last encounter.

She shut her eyes and tried to dream of better things.

--------------

Awaking with a splitting headache and a terrible hangover, Carina was in a foul mood. Fortunately, she didn't remember any events that transpired the night before so she wasn't in the foulest mood she could be...nor did she feel like she'd lost her dignity.

She swung her legs over the side of her cot and slid out of it onto the floor. The cool floor did wonders to soothe her aching head for some reason, and she was thankful for it. But as the headache cleared, the memories of the previous night began to pop up.

_Igrayne wanted to speak with me, I think,_ Carina mused, trying to recall exactly what she'd asked her. No luck. She quietly snuck over to where Igrayne was sitting and poked her.

No luck.

She poked her again.

Still no luck.

Carina pushed her cot and she fell onto the floor with a groan. Carina smiled triumphantly...until she started yelling at her in a volume that made Carina's head feel like it would explode.

"Not so loud!" she hissed at her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Igrayne yelled at her.

"Be quiet! You're gonna wake everyone else up!" Carina warned, rubbing her head to ease the tension.

Igrayne sighed. "Fine, what do you want though?"

"You wanted to talk to me about something...last night?" Carina asked.

"Oh." Igrayne thought about it. "I did."

"And?"

Igrayne fumbled with some blankets, pulling them around her to cut off the chill in the room. "Why didn't you tell me about Rani?"

Carina paled. "Oh, crap! You didn't hear it from me! Did you? Oh Force, I didn't say anything about it whilst I was...erm, drunk, did I?"

Igrayne shook her head and Carina sighed in utter relief. Igrayne grinned devilishly. "No, you didn't. You were too busy hanging on Mical...giving him wuvey-dovey looks."

"I—I most certainly was not!" Carina protested, although she couldn't remember. Force, she certainly hoped that she hadn't been, at least.

Igrayne giggled, she'd forgotten how much fun it was to tease Carina. "Whatever you need to tell yourself to go to sleep at night."

"Shut up," Carina muttered, walking away.

Igrayne called to her, "But why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think everyone should know about it. She's ashamed of what he did to her in the first place. I didn't want to make that shame worse, nor did I want Carth to find out," Carina explained calmly.

Igrayne rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Good point. How do you think he'll react?"

"It's beyond me. I have to admit, Igrayne, my brain is not that complex," Carina said, giggling at her own joke.

"True," Igrayne agreed. "Sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"No problem," Carina said as she pulled on some heavier clothes than her sleeping ones. It was still raining outside and she felt the need to get a little wet, if only to cool her splitting headache.

As Carina exited the hut, she noticed Rani leaning on one of the many railings that bordered the small Wookiee village. She looked a lot calmer than she'd seen her in a long time.

"Hey, Rani," Carina began as she approached and leaned over the rail with her. "Whatcha up to?"

"Nothing. I just needed some fresh air," she replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered simply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's good. No more morning sickness?"

Rani shook her head.

"Ah, okay. That's good...I think. I never took those classes when I became a nurse. Mical would better help you if you needed anything," Carina explained. "If you do need something though, Rani, don't hesitate to ask."

Rani again nodded.

"Not one for talk this morning, huh?" Carina said, smiling kindly.

"I guess I'm just thinking about...everything, really. Replaying events in my head," Rani said sadly.

Carina tilted her head, trying to understand, as rain trickled down upon her forehead. "Are you thinking about—"

"Destrik. Yes. I can't help but think that maybe I could have saved and turned him." Rani elicited a sigh. "Now we may have to kill him...I don't think I could do that. No matter the things he's done to me."

Carina nodded in firm understanding. "I know what you mean. But I think if the need arose, you could take care of it. The Jedi once had me go try and turn my own family back from the dark side, because force sensitivity runs in my family and they all fell from the light."

"What happened to them?"

"I killed them," Carina said, a tinge of bitterness evident in her voice. "All of them. I tried to turn them but...it was no use. I ended up failing them completely, or it seemed that way to me. It was like a shot to the heart."

"You aren't helping, Carina."

"I guess what I'm saying was that I loved them so much, and yet, when the time came...I did what had to be done. Regardless of how I felt about it," Carina finished.

"Thank you for telling me," Rani said appreciatively.

"Sure thing. I'm gonna go get something to eat or drink...I have the worst headache ever," Carina said, moaning. "Maybe Mical can give me another one of those tonic things—"

And then Carina remembered the rest of what happened the previous night. She gasped as her hands flew to her mouth. _Oh, Force...no. _Before Rani could ask her what the matter was, she nearly flew back into the rooms and quickly covered up with the blankets on her cot. She knew she'd gotten off too easy with just a terrible hangover...she knew that her actions the night before would certainly change things between her and Mical.

And she was terrified of that.


	28. Ambush in the Shadowlands

Igrayne quickly dressed herself, determined to take the lead of the crew. She wasn't going to let Bastila insult her anymore for lack of leadership skills.

Carina was back in her cot, the coverlet pulled all the way over her head. Igrayne gently prodded where she thought Carina's head should be.

"Ouch!"

Carina uncovered her face and glared at Igrayne while covering one of her eyes.

"You poked me in the eye!"

Igrayne laughed softly. "Get out of your cot and help me get the others up."

Carina sighed, and for the second time this morning, got out of bed. Not only was her head throbbing from the effects of the alcohol, but there was a cold fear in the pit of her stomach from the memories of her kiss with Mical. As Igrayne was successfully waking Indy, Carina tried to wake Evy up. She shook her, yelled in her ear, poked her in the ribs, and even slapped her lightly on the cheek. The only response she got from Evy was an anguished groan. Carina found herself not in the mood to try and wake up the also hung-over Evy, so she ran outside to gather some of the downpour and doused Evy with it. Evy awoke with a start, sitting up immediately and glaring at Carina.

"What? You wouldn't get up," Carina replied with an innocent look.

Evy started to laugh before she grabbed her head and groaned.

"Oh Force, my head…"

Indy trotted by the two women, fully awake and fully dressed now.

"Can't handle your liquor, huh?" she said in passing with a grin.

Igrayne saw the condition of Evy and immediately doled out an order to Carina.

"Could you go get some of that tonic from Mical for the both of you?"

Carina blanched, there was no way she could face Mical now that she remembered their "incident" from last night.

Igrayne noticed Carina's expression, but attributed her change in pallor to her hangover.

"Once you two are ready, hurry and get to the main pavilion. We'll have some breakfast and decide what our plan of action is."

Igrayne left promptly with Indy, and the authoritative note in Igrayne's voice left little doubt in Carina's or Evy's minds that they were expected to be there, and soon.

As soon as Igrayne and Indy exited the hut, they saw Rani still leaning against the railing.

Indy looked at Rani, she was soaked by the heavy rain.

"Getting a shower?" she asked jokingly.

Rani turned to face the two women, and something in her eyes caught Indy's attention. Indy had been so caught up with the mysteries of the Book of Death, that she had not taken the time to speak with Rani recently.

Igrayne must have noticed too, because she motioned for Indy to go ahead without her as she spoke with Rani.

"I know about the pregnancy," Igrayne said once Indy was out of earshot, "and so does Bastila."

Shock registered on Rani's face, and in her brown eyes.

"You should have told me," Igrayne continued, her voice soft, "you can trust me."

"I know, I do trust you," Rani said, "but I didn't want anyone to know. If Carth finds out…"

"Carth should be the least of your worries," Igrayne cut in, her voice harsh, "do you understand what it could mean if you keep Destrik's child?"

Rani looked taken aback, and then regained some of her composure.

"Yes, I know what it means," she replied, her voice just as harsh as Igrayne's, "but it happened, and as for Carth… if this had happened to you, would you want Bao to know about it?"

It was at this question that Igrayne realized that she and Bao-Dur had not been doing a good job of keeping their relationship under wraps.

"We'll talk more about this later," Igrayne said, anxious to meet with the others, "why don't you get changed, and meet us for breakfast."

Rani nodded and Igrayne left. Rani lingered in the rain. The feeling of the cool heavy drops on her wearied body helped her to focus on the present, instead of letting her mind travel the twisting paths of the past. 

"You're going to catch a cold, beautiful."

Rani turned to face Carth, her wet clothes clinging to her body, and Carth struggled to keep his gaze on her face.

"What are you doing out here?" he questioned.

"Just thinking," she replied vaguely.

"May I ask about what?"

Rani smiled, as Carth pushed back a soaked strand of her hair that was stuck to her cheek.

"Igrayne wants all of us to meet with her for breakfast," Rani said, avoiding Carth's question, "I'm going to go change into some dry clothes. I'll meet you in the main pavilion with the others."

Rani walked past Carth to enter the hut, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist to halt her.

"What's going on, Rani?" he asked, using her name instead of his usual compliments.

Rani wriggled her arm free of Carth, but before she entered the hut, she answered Carth, without turning towards him.

"You have enough on your mind as it is, Carth. Go. I'll see you at breakfast."

Carth watched Rani disappear into the hut, and he stood in the rain for a while, wondering if he should go in after her. His thoughts were interrupted as Evy and Carina exited the hut, both looking ill.

"Oh, thank the Force," Carina said as she saw Carth, "could you get some of that tonic from Mical for me and Evy?"

"Well, he's already left for breakfast, along with the others," Carth replied.

Evy let out a small groan, "I'm going to kill Atton for goading me into drinking so much."

Soon, Igrayne saw Carth, Evy, and Carina finally arrive. She waited impatiently for Rani to arrive and for everyone to finish eating. Igrayne had purposely taken the seat next to Trentyn, not wanting to sit near Bao-Dur who was sitting in between Bastila and Kevan. All three of them had serious expressions on their faces and Igrayne worried about the topic of their conversation. Once Rani arrived, taking the seat beside Igrayne, Igrayne decided to begin the meeting.

"Excuse me," she said firmly, but not overly loudly. The raucous laughing coming from the opposite end of the table where Atton, Indy and Han were seated stopped immediately, and all eyes were on Igrayne.

"All right, thank you," she said softly, feeling slightly nervous now that everyone's attention was directed towards her. Igrayne snuck a glance at Bastila, who had a very expectant look on her face.

"We need to get to Dxun," Igrayne continued, her voice stronger now, "Indy has figured out that there, we may be able to find the place where she can pass into the Valley of Death to get to the Book of Life."

"So, how are we going to do that without a ship?" Atton asked, and as Igrayne turned to look at him, he gave her an infuriating wink.

"There are many slavers that pass by here," Igrayne answered, not reacting to Atton's teasing, "we may be able to buy a ship from one."

"Absolutely not!" Bastila added. "We will not associate with those types. Force knows what connections they may have to the Sith."

"Geez, woman! Let Igrayne talk! I don't see you offering a better option," Tren said.

Igrayne was grateful for the support from Trentyn, but irritated that Bao-Dur hadn't been the one to jump to her defense.

As Bastila and Trentyn exchanged angry glares, Kevan spoke up.

"Well, I've heard rumors of some ships being spotted down in the Shadowlands. They aren't supposed to be there, but there are a few who brave the dangers for various highly illegal, but profitable, endeavors."

Igrayne looked around the table, and everyone seemed to be considering Kevan's suggestion.

"It is very dangerous down there," Mical said, glancing briefly, but meaningfully, at Carina.

"We are a big enough group, and most of us are trained in battle," Bastila threw in, fighting for leadership of the group.

Carth finally spoke up. "All right then, I guess that settles it. Let's prepare to head down to the Shadowlands."

-----------

As the breakfast party broke, Igrayne was strapping a bandolier to her shoulder. She could feel the tremor of the dissipating bodies, and watched Trentyn throw her a black look as he vacated his seat. It was then she noticed Kevan somberly making his way toward her.

"You prepared for this, General?" he queried loudly, an almost musical quality to his voice. It was something that Bao-Dur very nearly lacked every time he opened his mouth to utter something or other. She suddenly remembered why she had been drawn to Kevan in the first place--he had such an effervescent, highly contagious spirit.

"What, you think I've abandoned my training along with my Jedi rank?" she asked with a wide smile. Kevan could sense that he was free to joke with her as he pleased.

"Of course not, General. But that's not the reason I've detained you."

The doors shut as everyone filed out of them. Scarcely anybody had been aware that they were last two to be left in the room. Kevan's face wasn't as carefree and happy as it once had been. Deep frown lines replaced the marks that had once denoted a smile. Even his bold black tattoos creased with the movement of his skin, making him seem otherwise menacing.

"What is it?" Igrayne asked, tugging on the strap of her bandolier that held her best blaster. It was good for easy access, and she'd need her hands free while trekking about in the shadowlands.

Kevan put a gloved hand down on the table, pressing the palm flat out across the wood grain, his fingers spread apart. He was almost using it as a support beam. He was probably still recovering from the wounds he'd sustained in the electrical malfunction.

"It's Bao-Dur."

Igrayne grew entirely too quiet and somber.

"What of him?"

Kevan obviously wasn't going to back down on this. His eyes took on a reddish tinge, mirroring the conflict that brewed inside of him.

"Look, General, I don't mean to pry, but he's my best tech and you're...the _General_." He said it with such a sense of reverence that she felt touched and angered at the same time by this uncharacteristic display of emotion. Kevan continued, at length. "You've won battles, commanded armies, performed legendary feats. Your name is spoken all across the Core Worlds as the one who emerged victorious at Malachor V. It was your hand that gave the signal, not Bao-Dur's. Because of that, you'll be forever remembered, and Bao-Dur will fade into obscurity, like the rest of us."

Igrayne gave a final tug to the strap to make sure it was secure.

"And your point _is_?" she asked, unimpressed.

Kevan's head cocked acutely to one side, observing her. If she didn't know any better, he was disapproving of the whole situation entirely. The tonal change that followed confirmed whatever suspicions she had.

"I know I'm not the boss of you, General--"

"You got that right," Igrayne said through gritted teeth, her voice and tone unintentionally hostile. Kevan refined his way of going about the situation almost instantly. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Bao-Dur's been a friend to me these long years. Under normal circumstances, I might even be pleased for you."

He inched closer when she refused to look at him.

"What you're doing is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Look, I appreciate the fact that you're concerned, but in case you haven't noticed, I can look after myself quite well."

She loaded up her blaster and shoved its sleek, metallic frame into her leather holster. Kevan nodded sadly.

"That's what I thought you'd say."

Igrayne used her defensiveness as a shield to keep Kevan out. She didn't want him knowing just how scared she was right now. She had never loved or given over to her passion with complete abandon. She didn't know what possessed her to turn her back on every doctrine she'd ever held as true, or on Master Vrook.

"Just take care, General," Kevan said, his eyes gazing her over sharply. "Fate has a way of becoming a fickle friend."

"So I've heard," Igrayne replied, turning her back to him as she stepped out the door. She had plaited her hair into a long braid that slapped against her back. As she emerged from the wookiee hut, Bastila was there to greet her.

"So this is your great plan?" she said, disapproval registering in her voice. Behind her, the rest of the crew was gearing up for the walk.

Igrayne nodded. "Indy seems to think she'll find the Book of Life on Dxun. If we get to it before the Sith, it could prevent a war. That is, unless, you want to be fighting against some long-dead Sith lords like Exar Kun or something..."

Igrayne's comment washed over Bastila with no effect, as if she had either not heard or ignored it.

"You do not have the power to authorize this kind of a command. Only Master Vrook and myself can," Bastila replied, scrambling to keep up with Igrayne, who was walking with determination toward the lift that dropped them down into the shadowlands. Igrayne flipped on her heel and opened her arms wide, signifying the empty forest around her.

"So where's Master Vrook now?"

Bastila gaped, open-mouthed, at her boldness.

"Carth and I are giving all the orders around here. Either you hear and obey, or you get lost. I've had just about enough of your whining."

Bastila was extremely offended. She brushed a furious hand through her hair.

"Well, I never!"

The enraged Jedi took the lift down and stormed off in the direction of the trees.

"Wait!" Carth Onasi said, reaching an arm out.

"Let her go," Igrayne replied in a bored-sounding voice.

"With any luck, she'll be eaten by terentateks," Tren muttered under his breath, his eyes blazing with fury. Igrayne looked over her shoulder at him.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

"Is the team ready?" Igrayne asked, looking to Carth for guidance. Carth, she noticed, had taken the time to clean himself up. He'd had a proper shave, a decent night's sleep--and was she mistaken, or was he wearing some kind of scent? It was a vast improvement to the normal sweaty musky smell he carried around on him all the time. How Rani put up with that, she didn't know.

"The team's assembled and ready to go," Carth said, nodding.

Chuundar, the wookiee chieftain had come up to witness their leave-taking. The giant beast extended one hairy paw in a show of greeting.

"Leaving already?" he asked in shyriwook.

"Yeah, I'm afraid our escort's gone without us," Igrayne said, nodding over her shoulder to indicate the only absent party member.

"Master Vrook gave me express instructions to guard you here. If you venture forth into the shadowlands, I cannot guarantee your protection."

"It was under Vrook's advisement that we leave," Igrayne said, forcing herself to lie. She hated to do it, but it was the only way they'd be able to leave without angering the wookiee chieftain, or his overweening sense of hospitality.

"Then I defer to his judgment," Chuundar expressly stated. "Many good wishes on your journeys, wherever they make take you."

"And to you," Igrayne said, bowing her head slightly in a show of respect.

They all filed on to the small lift, once Bastila's exit left it free to extend high up into the trees again. With the strength in his arms, Bao-Dur silently fed the line of rope through the pulley, hoisting them down into the dubious undergrowth below.

The lift hit the forest floor with a thud, nearly toppling them all from their standing positions. Indy had her book clutched to her chest, the rest of her archaeological items stashed into the small sack she had slung over one shoulder.

"Okay, let's move on out," Carth said. He was so used to doling out orders that it was second nature for Igrayne to step aside and let him take command. He was a natural leader. He led the small trek through the forest for a few hours, until the group was all too tired to venture on.

One by one, they stopped, scattering about the forest floor to catch their breaths. Igrayne was relieved for this time she had to catch her breath.

------------

Evy touched a hand to her head, which was aching like a couple of Jawas were having a party in there. The last of her hangover was finally fleeing. She decided to take a short walk to clear her mind, though Carth called out a warning to her not to stray too far off. The Shadowlands were dangerous, and she was ill-equipped to handle whatever it threw at her.

She sat down on a nearby stump. She looked up once she heard the bushes rustling. Her hand flew immediately to the blaster belted at her side. She drew it out in seconds and had it aimed at the source of the noise.

A red face popped through the topmost branches. Bastila's hair was caught in the branches and had come undone. She was obviously wrestling with the difficult bush, seeing no other way around it.

"Some help would be appreciated," the Jedi sniped. Evy rolled her eyes as she went forth to pry her loose from the snags in her clothing and hair. Bastila brushed herself off.

"You're back a lot sooner than I thought you'd be," Evy said. Bastila sent one hopeless gaze around her.

"This place...is a lot bigger than I thought. Why is it I cannot sense the Force through here? I feel as though I am being cut off from it."

Evy immediately holstered her blaster, sensing that the woman wasn't a threat.

"Join the club. We've been walking around in circles for seemingly hours. The Admiral wont say it, but he's lost. He just has trouble admitting it."

She used a twig to pick at her boot soles. Bastila sat down on the stump nearest her, one leg crossed very properly over the other.

"I am not accustomed to trekking about in the wilds like this, I must confess. That is why it was my good fortune to run into you."  
_  
Yeah, good fortune indeed_... Evy thought glumly. She squared her shoulders and looked the other woman straight in the eye. "Look, we've got to get to Dxun. If you've got reservations about that, joining us will only impede what little progress we've already been making."

"No," Bastila said, feeling quite foolish, "On the contrary, I should apologize...for being rather short with you all before. I see it is not so easy to find one's way around in the forest, and I should have suspected as much. But beyond that, if Dxun is where we must go, then I am willing to follow and obey that as my command. I wouldn't want to risk giving the Sith the advantage in the upcoming battle. That is why the Jedi called on me; to lend them my aid. Perhaps now I can be of more use."

Evy laughed, traces of the alcohol still evident in her breath.

"So that's the only reason you're here? To babysit us while we do all the heavy lifting for the Jedi Council?"

Bastila laced both hands over her one knee, sitting very straight and proper on her overgrown stump.

"Not only that. Master Vrook obviously wanted me to mediate between you and Chuundar when we arrived here on Kashyyyk. My plans for a speedy return were thwarted, however, when Trentyn planted that bomb on our ship..."

"Oh, for the last time, Tren had nothing to do with it!" Evy said in annoyance. She didn't really know why she was defending the Sith, only that it felt good to abuse Bastila.

Bastila continued as though she had said nothing at all.

"And there are other reasons Master Vrook sent me along, as well."

"Other reasons?" Evy asked, trying to feign curiosity because she supposed Bastila expected her to be interested.

"Why do you carry a lightsaber?" Bastila asked, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the cylindrical instrument hooked to Evy's belt. Evy's gaze immediately dodged down to the tool, hiding it behind her robes. "Only Jedi carry lightsabers."

"What, this? It's nothing. Just something I picked up from one of the Sith I killed."

"The energies it channels are not dark energies. Don't lie to me," Bastila accused, her voice taking on a rough edge.

Evy's guilty face practically gave everything away. She watched the others conversing nearby, and could hear Atton's faint laughter. He was her ticket to a normal life.

"It was from Jeran."

Bastila's mouth opened in a tiny ring of surprise. Her head lowered vigilantly, her eyes lowered toward the ground.

"Jeran was a skilled padawan. When he fell..." She fought back a little choke. "We gave him every honor."

Evy shot straight to her feet, pacing to dispel some of her anger. She wanted nothing more than to draw her saber on Bastila and make her and the rest of the whole Jedi Council atone for their crimes. They were the ones who had sent Jeran to battle. She had followed suit. What she saw that day could never be erased from her memory.

"You didn't give him a second thought," Evy said waspishly. "So don't lecture to me about honor and your damned Jedi ideals. I was the one who held him while he died. I was the only one who was with him at the end, when it really mattered. And he gifted me this."

Her hand clamped hard around the lightsaber, unhooking it to hold it against her breast, a small token of her lost love.

"You cannot gift a lightsaber. It only belongs to the bearer," Bastila spat, equally infuriated. "It is forbidden."

"Then he did many forbidden things, it should please you to know. He even trained me in the ways of the Force. And that's why I carry this thing. Not for you or for the Jedi or for some wasted ideal...but for _him_."

Bastila nodded surprisingly. She had obviously been aware of this fact.

"Yes. In fact, that is part of why I am here. Master Vrook sensed your presence at the Enclave, though he never saw you. He could detect that the Force was strong with you. Though your training was never completed, he could sense that it had, in some way, begun...though we weren't quite sure through what means or method. They sensed that you could be powerful if trained..."

"...So they sent you along to get the job done?" Evy finished for her. A bright smile played on her delicate features. "And what a brilliant job you're doing _so far_."

Bastila raised her head, filled with positive energy. She was happy that one of her true motives for being here was finally out in the open.

"They have sent me to protect you, yes, but whether you take up the mantle of Jedi or not is up to you."

"I can give you my answer right now," Evy said enthusiastically. "_No_."

"Why not?" Bastila stammered, thinking for a moment she would actually get an acquiescing answer from the other woman. She should have guessed otherwise. Evy turned her back on the other woman, walking toward the crowd, but Bastila followed in hot pursuit. "Is it because of _him_? Do you love him?"

Evy paused in her tracks. The words chilled her. How did Bastila...?

"There is no love in a heart such as that," Bastila said bitterly, keeping her frozen where she was with her accusatory words. She walked up behind her, training her gaze on Atton in the distance, as did Evy. He looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself, milling about the makeshift camp that Bao-Dur had built to tell jokes and rile the others up.

"He has nothing to offer one such as you, and even a fool such as Atton is not so ignorant of that fact," Bastila whispered into Evy's ear. Evy shut her eyes and was sure a tear had squeezed itself out of her eye. She wouldn't allow Bastila to witness her humiliation, however, so she wiped it away with a quick sweep of the back of her hand.

"Such attachments will only bring doom to you both in the dark places you must walk," Bastila said, backing away. Evy spun about, a quizzical expression plastered on her face.

"Dark places? What dark places?"

"That," Bastila said, "Is a question better answered by Master Vrook. Only when you have committed yourself to the Jedi Order can you discover its answer."

"Well, you can forget it. I'm just a nurse. I'm not a hero, or even Jedi material. I just want to be left alone."

"Suit yourself," Bastila said with a shrug. "But if you should change your mind..."

"I _won't_," Evy replied resolutely, before going to join the others. Bastila followed in, prepared to answer the many questions that would be directed at her after her untimely disappearance.

--------------

Igrayne was picking out dirt from in between the grooves of her boots when Bao-Dur approached her. She knew it was Bao-Dur by his step: slow, silent, and precise. She didn't look up to greet him.

"General," he said quietly. "You've not said a word since leaving."

"Is there any surprise there?" Igrayne said irritably, turning her shoulder away so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Is something the matter, General?"

"No."

"Good. How about a session of sparring before we continue on?" the Zabrak offered.

"Sparring?" she asked with exasperation, the mere thought forcing her to turn toward the Zabrak. "How can you think about sparring at a time like this?"

"That is, unless you aren't up for it, General," he said with a steep incline of his head. There was definately a challenge present in that tone. She got up, unsheathing a long, thin vibroblade that she usually only reserved for heated battles. Bao-Dur did similarly. Apparently, he'd borrowed Kevan's vibroblade for just such an occasion.

Igrayne circled her opponent, sizing him up from every angle. She'd attack from the front. She was riled up and angry enough to just try any tactic. If she wanted to play really dirty, she'd wait till his back was turned and try to catch him off guard.

She lunged at him, but he deflected her blow with one well-placed shot. Their blades crossed up in the air, and Igrayne felt sweat accumulating on her brow as she struggled to hold it there, the force in the opposite blade pushing back against her. She summoned all her strength to fight him. Bao-Dur was beginning to waver under her attack.

"You have a lot of anger," he noted, an element of surprise present in his voice. Their blades uncrossed, they began circling one another again.

"A lot has changed since you left the Jedi Order," he said.

"I miss our meditation time," she admitted, feeling stupid. Bao-Dur closed his eyes and nodded deeply to affirm this fact.

She took it as her queue to lunge at his unguarded flank. His reaction time was quick, though, and he swung backward with a great swipe of his blade, tossing her aside to the ground.

"You should really learn to channel some of that anger and aggression," Bao-Dur told her. Igrayne's hands clutched at the earth underneath her fingertips.

"Don't lecture me. Just because you're still a Jedi doesn't make you any better than me."

"No, but I _am_ still the tech who repairs your weapons, so I'd watch what I'd say if I were you, General."

She jumped almost immediately to her feet, fighting back. She twirled her vibroblade to show off her fast fingerwork, while Bao-Dur merely concentrated on finding some way to get the drop on her.

He had to admit, he enjoyed seeing her all riled up. She fought with the same amount of passion as she exchanged heated words with him. She was at her best when she was using her anger to fuel her. That was a frightening thought.

They crossed blades once more. Bao-Dur's strength was almost effortless. Igrayne's muscles were beginning to tire from exerting herself to the extent where she thought she'd need a full nap just to recover. Bao-Dur simply kept on, confident in his abilities.

Igrayne almost felt as though she were losing control. She could see how it would be easy for someone like Trentyn to join up with the Sith, given their penchant for absolute lack of control or inhibition. She quelled the angry thoughts that surfaced to her brain, closing her eyes to recall the words of the Jedi Code...

What was it, again? Something about serenity and passion? Death and the Force? She couldn't recall the exact words...but she'd had the tenets down pat.

"Enough for today," Bao-Dur said, sensing her insecurity. It was as though he could sense her wavering opinion, and the dangerous directions in which her thoughts tended.

"Don't feel bad," he said encouragingly, sheathing his vibroblade, "It was a good fight."

"Says you," Igrayne replied.

"You may meditate with me if you like, General," he offered, slipping to his knees before flattening both palms against his kneecaps. He bowed his head. Igrayne did similarly, moving to his side to mimic his position. This time, the Jedi Code came easier. The loss of control feeling that had taken hold of her minutes before was now completely vanquished.

_And let's hope it stays that way._

She opened one eye to sneak a peek at Bao-Dur. The Zabrak's crown of horns sat like a maze atop his bowed head. She wanted to cup his face in her hands and draw him to her for a kiss, but she knew he wouldn't allow it.

Just when she was on the verge of doing so, Kevan walked into the little clearing, noticing their discarded weapons and their similar meditative stances. He said nothing other than,

"Admiral Onasi is calling for a regroup."

Bao-Dur slid to his feet blindingly fast. Igrayne got up and picked up her discarded weapon, walking toward the little clearing where the rest of the gang was already gathered and...Bastila? The Jedi was standing there among the rest of her friends, looking like she was filled with a renewed resolve.

They entered the dark, forested area and followed Carth deeper into the Shadowlands. It wasn't very far from where the slavers came and deposited their merchandise for illegal trade runs.

------------

Scouting ahead of the rest of the group, Carth and Kevan viewed the makeshift base from a distance. About a handful of well-armed, mercenary-like guards stood watch over the mountain of probably smuggled merchandise. A small shanty housed what looked to be a control room of sorts, and an equally poorly-built awning jutted out from the tiny building. The awning looked as if it was originally built to protect the goods from the elements, but it was obvious that the operations had increased since its construction. Crates and canisters were stacked one on top of the other, littering the entire camp.

As the two males surveyed the base of operations, they both were confident that, given enough of a show of power on their part, they might be able to get information from the guards. Carth and Kevan jogged back to meet the rest of the group and report what they'd seen.

"…I expect everyone to keep their weapons handy," Carth continued with his orders, "but do not attack unless it is absolutely necessary. We're looking for a ship here, one we are willing to buy, so it's best if we don't intimidate them too much, just enough of a show of power so that they do not decide to take advantage of us."

The rest of the crew nodded and checked their weapons.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Carth said to rally them. "All right, let's go, but please be careful."

Carth gave Rani a lingering look before leading the group down to the provisional camp. She had been avoiding contact and conversation with him the entire trip to the Shadowlands. Carth had originally thought that it was because she wanted him to concentrate on the task at hand, but during the break, Rani had rushed to make herself look busy, deep in conversation with Indy, Han, and Trentyn.

Han was almost grateful for the danger of the Shadowlands because that kept Tren away from Indy. Trentyn was so busy watching and protecting his sister, he had little time to play his normal flirtatious game with Indy. At the beginning of the trip, Tren had been talking and flirting with all of the women, except for Bastila, until a bull Katarn crashed through the woods and almost killed an unsuspecting Rani and Carina. Trentyn had bounded with amazing speed and agility and met the creature head-on before it could get to the two women. Mical had also rushed to save the women, but before he could even get near the creature, Tren had slaughtered it with two skillful swings of his deep blue lightsaber. Since that little incident, Tren was always less than three paces away from his older sister.

Soon, the group neared the tall shrubbery that Carth and Kevan had hidden behind while they had appraised the slaver base. Here they stopped, Carth deciding to take only part of their group to meet with the mercenary guards. Carth elected to take Bao-Dur, Kevan, Igrayne, Bastila, and grudgingly Trentyn. The Admiral may have had no personal taste for Tren, but he knew that the man's exceptional charisma and excellent fighting skills might come in handy.

"So what are the rest of us supposed to do? Hide in the bushes?" Atton asked, obviously irritated that he had not be asked to be in the group to meet the guards.

"Well, you're stuck to your pretty girlfriend all the time. We didn't want to unnecessarily separate you," Trentyn said in jest, smiling until he realized that Evy had been keeping her distance from Atton since the break.

Atton snarled at Tren, before glancing over to look at Evy. She immediately pretended to be interested in a loose thread on the hem of Indy's shirt.

"Seriously though, have any orders for us?" Carina asked.

"Yes," Carth began, "try to stay out of the way. If for some reason a fight starts, which if things go as planned that won't happen, but if it does you all are here as unseen backup."

With that, they left to meet the guards. Indy and Han stayed pressed up against the bushes, straining to see and hear what was going on. Han subconsciously laid a comforting hand on Indy's back. The contact sent a tingling warmth up her back and neck, and with a pang of guilt, Indy realized that she had been very inattentive towards Han ever since Trentyn walked back into her life. She responded to Han's touch by looking up at his face, now intently watching Carth approach the leader of the guards. Indy placed a tentative hand on Han's chest, and he turned to look at her expecting her to say something. She didn't. They gazed absorbedly at each other, and Indy wondered why it was that she could not as of yet escape the memory of Trentyn and embrace the treasure of a man before her.

The rest of the group behind the bushes was not having as pleasant of an experience as Indy and Han. The tension was almost tangible, as Carina and Evy kept their distance from Mical and Atton.

"Why is it that you aren't supporting Atton's weight as usual?" Carina asked Evy quietly so that the others wouldn't hear her.

"Hey, I'm not asking you why you've been avoiding Mical all day," Evy snapped back in response.

"Geez, lighten up, it was just a question," Carina said, crossing her arms defensively across her chest.

Evy immediately felt apologetic. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's come over me lately." But she did. Ever since Bastila's scathing words about Atton, Evy let doubts run rampant in her mind.

_How did I ever think that Atton and I would work out?_ she thought, while sadly gazing at the roguishly handsome scoundrel. _He and I are so different…_

"So, what's your story with Mical?" Evy asked with a smile plastered on her face for her friend.

Before Carina could answer, a sound attracted everyone's attention that was behind the bushes. Evy made a move to withdraw Jeran's lightsaber, but before she could, Dustil spoke.

"Move and she dies!"

Dustil held a trembling Rani in front of him, one arm firmly around her middle to restrict her movement, and the other held his lightsaber by her throat.

The others froze, but Atton jumped forward.

"You gonna take us on?" Atton questioned while slowly stalking forward, "That's stupid. You are sorely outnumbered."

Evy watched in horror as Atton goaded on Dustil. When Atton had gotten close enough to her, she tackled him to the ground. The furied look in Dustil's eyes was enough to convince her that he would not hesitate to kill Rani if he needed to. As soon as Atton was down, Dustil ran off, dragging Rani with him.

"What was that for?" Atton asked her angrily as she picked herself up off of him.

"You would have gotten her killed!" Evy replied, equally angry.

He scoffed at her, but said nothing more.

"Atton, you are nothing but a fool," she said, her voice dangerously quiet as she recounted all the misdeeds of his past in her mind.

They had no time to run after Rani and Dustil or to speak any more, because the sound of fighting erupted on the other side of the bushes. Sith must have been hiding amongst the towers of merchandise, because there were at least five of them, along with the five mercenaries, fighting. Carth, Kevan, Bao-Dur, Igrayne, and Trentyn were fighting very well, even though they were outnumbered, but it was obvious they needed help. 

Mical, Carina, Indy, Han, Atton, and Evy all rushed to aid the others. More Sith appeared from hiding, and Indy resentfully wondered just how many there were concealed amongst the scattered goods. She was also extremely frustrated, all of the Sith had activated what seemed like an impenetrable shield, and none of her precisely aimed blaster shots were causing any damage. Trentyn also was frustrated as he fought two Sith, the swings of their lightsabers were mostly defensive, and Tren wondered if the Sith were merely trying to distract everyone. He had no time to look around to try and see what they were attempting to distract them from, as the barrage of flurries from both sides kept him very busy.

Strangely, the Sith began to retreat, and before anyone could chase after them a booming voice called out, garnering everyone's attention.

"Halt!"

Destrik stood in the center of his Sith soldiers, who surrounded him in a half-moon arrangement. Now that he was no longer fighting, Trentyn noticed that a ship lay just beyond the makeshift base. Igrayne inched to her side, hoping to block Destrik's view of Bastila.

"There is something that I believe you have for me, Rheya," Destrik said with a normal tone, yet everyone seemed to hear him.

Indy grasped the strap of her knapsack that was slung across her body.

"Hand it over, now!" Destrik said again, withdrawing his blood-red lightsaber. It seemed somehow more intense then the other red lightsaber blades that encircled him.

"Over my cold, dead body," Indy said back through gritted teeth. There was no way she was giving the Book of Death to the Sith.

Dustil emerged from the undergrowth, and Carth instinctively started towards him, until he saw Rani, being dragged along by his son. She was struggling to escape Dustil's grasp, but he was too strong for her. Dustil shot his father a "don't you even dare" look as he brought Rani to Destrik's side happily giving her up to him.

"Good work," Destrik said to Dustil as deactivated his lightsaber and held Rani almost hungrily around the waist, her arms pinned to her sides. Dustil beamed at the praise, and took his position next to Destrik.

"How nice to see you again, babe," he said to her lecherously.

Rani managed to get one arm free and pulled it back, fully intending on giving Destrik a stinging slap, but he caught her hand before the contact was made. He twisted that arm behind her back, and kissed her brutally. Carth had to avert his eyes to keep from doing something stupid, and he noticed the vibroblade still strapped to Rani's belt. He silently prayed that she wouldn't try and use it, or she would surely get hurt.

"You raise your hand to me ever again, and I will punish you again in _other ways_," Destrik said to Rani after he had his fill of her mouth.

Trentyn started forward immediately, fury in his manner, it was obvious that the meaning of Destrik's words were not lost on Rani's brother. Carth sprung to action, stepping in front of Tren and blocking him with his arm.

"Don't. You attack and she _will_ get hurt," Carth said to Tren to stop him. Carth was angry too, and he wanted nothing more than to kill Destrik and take his son back, but he had the presence of mind to realize that many of his friends could get killed if that were to happen.

Trentyn backed down, only to have Destrik goad him on.

"Trentyn, decided to align yourself with the enemy?" he said, smiling as he let his hands wander over Rani's body.

"I swear, Destrik, I will see you dead if it is the last thing I do." Trentyn was shaking with the amount of effort he was using just to stay rooted in place. If Carth was not there, Tren would have foolishly gone barging in to deal with Destrik long ago.

"You always were the protective prick," Destrik said smiling as he continued to touch Rani. She had her eyes firmly closed, and at every graze of Destrik's hand, she shuddered with disgust.

"You wouldn't even tell her when I was part of the Sith just to protect her feelings," Destrik continued in a mocking voice, "is that family loyalty, or what, Dustil?"

"I wouldn't know Master, I have never experienced that," Dustil replied angrily viewing his father.

As neither Carth nor Tren responded, Destrik seemed to grow bored with his little game. He turned his attention back to Indy.

"Give me the book, Rheya," Destrik commanded.

Indy hesitated as she viewed the scene before her. She was prepared to give up her own life to protect the powerful Books, but the lives of her friends? She sighed as she realized she would not be able to live with herself if one of them died due to her obstinacy. She carefully removed the heavy Book from her knapsack, and held it out in supplication.

Destrik motioned to Dustil to retrieve it, and he did, like a slave to his master, and returned the Book to Destrik.

"Take it to the ship, and bring me the gift I have for Rheya" he ordered Dustil as his gaze stayed trained on Indy. Just as Indy was thanking the Force that Destrik did not know about the importance of the crystal, he began to speak to her.

"I heard that you were always too arrogant for your own good. Seems you have proven that today," he said grinning widely at her. Indy thought that Destrik probably had been very good-looking in the past, but now, his features were grotesquely twisted by the dark side.

Before Indy could realize why he was saying this, Destrik spoke again.

"Give me the crystal now, Rheya."

Indy's hands shook, and her eyes threatened to brim over with tears as she took the crystal from her bag, and angrily threw it at Destrik. He effortlessly caught it, and stowed it in one of the pockets of his robe.

"And now, my gift to you," he said, taking an object from Dustil and throwing it at Indy.

It was obvious that he used the Force to assist his throw, because the power and accuracy with which the object hit her face was amazing. The force of the blow knocked Indy to the ground and she felt blood oozing out of her nose as she saw the object beside her head.

"A Guide to Corellia," she read on the cover of the book.

_How did I not see that one coming?_ she thought with faint amusement as Han reached her side and she blacked out.

Now satisfied that he had achieved everything he had meant to, Destrik smiled at the crew. Igrayne was clenching her fist, her knuckles white with the effort as she hoped again that Destrik would not notice Bastila among them.

"Well, it was a nice little reunion, but I have all I've come for," Destrik said patting Rani's behind.

Immediately, Trentyn paled, he saw the look on his sister's face, and he knew that what was coming next would not end well.

The Sith soldiers began filing into the ship, along with Dustil and Destrik holding Rani.

In a flash, Rani swung her fist, catching Destrik off guard. It surprised him enough to let her go, but instead of running away from him, she drew her vibroblade. Now recovered, he stared at her with amusement.

"Come on, babe, you think just because you killed a couple of recruits you can battle me?"

The superior note in Destrik's voice drove Rani to pure anger, but she struggled to keep her composure, because she did have a goal for this attack. She circled him slowly, and he merely stared at her smiling. She waited for him to grab for her, and he did, pulling her body so close to him that she couldn't cut him with the vibroblade. Instead, she let him busy himself with groping her body for a few moments, before smashing the hilt of her weapon on the back of his skull. He let go of her immediately and he staggered back a few steps. Unfortunately, the blow hadn't been enough to hurt him for long, and he recovered much faster than Rani had hoped for. Now angry and unwilling to underestimate her again, Destrik kicked her blade hand so hard that the weapon went flying into the forest. Still full of fury from her blows, Destrik approached her, and Rani backed up, now extremely frightened. Her back touched the back of a tree trunk, and she had no where else to go. Destrik stopped only a couple paces in front of her, and kicked her as hard as he could on her stomach. 

Immediately, all hell broke loose as Trentyn made a mad dash for Destrik. Carth followed, watching Rani's form crumple to the ground. The rest of the crew again joined in the battle, except for Indy who was just now gaining consciousness, and Han who was by her side, cradling her head in his lap.

The Sith were gradually retreating, one-by-one boarding their ship. Soon, the only ones still fighting were Destrik and Trentyn. Trentyn was livid, and it showed in the ferocity of his attacks on Destrik. But, Destrik wouldn't rise to the challenge, instead opting to be defensive, never allowing Trentyn an opening.

Igrayne took action, realizing that Destrik was intent on leaving the planet.

"Let him go, Trentyn!" she doubted he would heed her words, but she said them anyway.

She dashed up behind him, desperately trying to call him off of his assault. If he didn't stop fighting soon, the Sith would come back out and make the situation worse.

"Tren! Stop! Let him go! Think of Rani!" she called, trying to find a way to reach him through his anger.

Her words must have distracted him, because he hesitated enough to allow Destrik to push him off balance as their lightsabers met. Destrik bounded off, and the ship speedily took off from the surface of Kashyyyk.

Igrayne and Tren rushed to Rani's side with the rest of the crew. Both Carth and Mical were bent over her, and her face was contorted with pain as she clutched her stomach.

"What's going on, Mical? Do something for her!" Carth cried, as he watched her helplessly.

"I can't," Mical said sadly, holding her hand, "I can't do anything for her until it passes."

"What are you talking about?" Carth asked, suddenly aware that he was definitely being left out of the loop on something.

Bastila snorted with derision. "See, this is what happens."

"What?" Carth asked, realizing that Bastila was in on the secret that he wasn't.

"This is what happens when people can't deal with their emotions and passions th—"

Before Bastila could finish her thought, Evy spun around, and backhanded Bastila.

"Deal with that passion, bitch," she said to Bastila, feeling a strange satisfaction.

Bastila held her red cheek with eyes wide with surprise, anger, and fright.

"Well, I _never_..."

Igrayne realized what was going on with Rani, and ushered the others away, hoping to give Rani some privacy in her difficult time. Only Carth, Mical, and Carina remained, Carth still thoroughly confused. Rani momentarily opened her eyes, and handed a small object to Carth that she had clutched in her hand. He took it, tearing his eyes off of her face to look at it. It was Destrik's crystal, the key to opening the Book of Death. Carth's joy was short-lived though, as his eyes widened with fear when he saw the blood.

"Mical! She's bleeding! You must be able to do something!"

Carina knew that at this point, there was no more need to hide it from him, so she turned to Carth and told him as plainly as she could.

"Carth, she is miscarrying."

Carth's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him…the rape, her morning sickness, how she was avoiding him as of late.

The others searched for anything useful among the goods in the base, and Igrayne wondered to herself how much Destrik paid the slavers for the whole setup. She shook her head angrily, she should have known that they would show up.

"So what are we going to do about a ship now?" Atton asked whiningly. Igrayne wished that whatever was going on between him and Evy would be resolved soon, because when he wasn't busy with Evy, he truly got on Igrayne's nerves.


	29. Arranging a Meeting and Confessions

As Mical and Carina tended to Rani, the others had collected in a group. Carth was occasionally glancing over at Rani, while the others had blank expressions.

As Igrayne looked at them all, she realized they all looked pretty miserable. Everybody was muddy from the trek through the Shadowlands, not to mention soaking wet.

Indy's expression could be easily read through the blood her nose was spouting. She was angry and pissed off, and it was understandable. They'd just lost the book that held the fate of the Republic in its pages.

_At least Destrik didn't know about Dxun, right?_

"Okay, we have to come up with a plan. We're stuck on this planet if we don't manage to get a ship," Igrayne stated, and everybody nodded.

"We have to go to the Wookiee village again and check if Chuundar is willing to lend us one." Everyone groaned. The thought of another trek sounded awful, and Carth and Tren were worried about Rani. Would she manage a trek like that in her condition?

When a sudden ringing met their ears, they turned to Indy. She looked at them with a expression clearly wondering why they were all staring at her.

"You bag is ringing," Han said, and she jerked her head towards her bag. Wiping her nose with her sleeve, she managed to dig her comm unit out.

"Yeah?" she said into the comm unit. A moment of silence passed during which they could hear someone talking on the other end, but no one could hear anything clearly.

"You're on Kashyyyk and happened to _sense_ me? You do know that sounds pretty weird, even from you." Indy exchanged a few more words with the comm unit, and soon she switched it off and turned to the others.

"I managed to get us a ride, she'll be landing shortly." Indy said and wiped her bloody nose again.

They all started gathering what stuff they had scavenged and Mical and Carth, aided by Carina, was picking up Rani.

Soon a ship landed where the former ship had stood before Destrik made off with it. The ramp lowered and a woman wearing tight clothes and a cloak exited the ship.

Indy glanced at the others and quickly stated, "She ain't Sith, but she ain't Jedi either. She's more on the neutral side."

They all started walking up to the ship and Indy reached the woman first. As they boarded the ship they all introduced themselves, and it was revealed that the woman was called Mercedes, or rather Merc, as she was called by Indy.

Soon they were all onboard, and Merc and Indy left to get the ship started up.

-------------

After their unpleasant encounter in the Shadowlands, the crew found it difficult to calm themselves once again. Tension hung heavily in the air as the various members of the crew dispersed themselves among Mercedes' spacious ship. Indy and Han accompanied Merc in the cockpit as they prepared for takeoff, and Mical and Carina were tending to Rani in the medical bay. Most of the other crew members had sought solitude in hopes of easing their troubled minds.

Atton entered the main hold as he began pacing furiously, apparently deeply troubled by something. The scoundrel was still favoring his injured leg, but the dull pain that emanated through it was not enough to stop him from his fervent ramblings as he continued to pace rather erratically.

"I could have had him! If only I had the frackin' chance…one of these days he's gonna pay…I swear, I'll kill him if I ever see him again…"

"Wow, and I thought _I_ had issues…" a masculine voice sounded from the other end of the room as Trentyn leaned casually in the doorway, observing Atton with an uncharacteristically solemn expression upon his face. After seeing his older sister in danger, his demeanor had drastically changed.

"If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like you have a death wish for someone. Mind if I inquire as to who it is?"

Atton immediately stopped pacing to face the other man, looking somewhat annoyed.

"That's none of your business," he snapped. "Why should you care?"

Tren gave a shrug, looking indifferent as he took a seat in one of the plush chairs that surrounded the circular room.

"Well, it just seemed convenient for you to be rambling about death wishes after we met up with Destrik back on Kashyyyk. You have a bone to pick with him, too?"

Atton looked surprised that Trentyn had pinpointed the source of his frustration so quickly.

"How did you know?" 

"It just makes sense…" said Tren seriously, before an amused grin passed over his features for a fleeting moment. "Oh, and there's the fact that you kept mumbling his name under your breath…"

Atton gave a feeble laugh as he smiled slightly, scratching the back of his head.

"Heh…well I guess that explains it…"

He took a seat next to Trentyn as they both became solemn again.

"So, what do you have against him?" asked Tren, referring to Atton's apparent hatred of Destrik. "Do you know him personally? Did he steal your chick or something?"

"Destrik and I go back a long way. We served together during the war."

"Wait a minute…you're Sith?" asked Tren, apparently oblivious to Atton's previous affiliations. 

"_Was_ Sith…" corrected Atton. "I turned from that path long ago."

"Right," said Tren, looking slightly disheartened that he didn't have a fellow Sith aboard the ship to talk to. "So anyway, what happened between the two of you?"

Atton released a sigh before recounting the shortened version of his tale to Trentyn with a distant look in his eyes. 

"When Destrik and I served together, I trusted him completely. He was well-respected among the ranks and everyone put their utmost faith in him. But he betrayed us, stabbed us all in the backs… and if I hadn't stopped him, he would have killed everyone in our squad. I'll never forgive him for what he did to us… to _me_. He's a traitor, and he deserves to die."

Trentyn nodded in understanding.

"So, once a bastard, always a bastard, eh?" he said dismally. "I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," agreed Atton, as he clenched his fists in anger. "But I'm sick of letting him get away. This is the second time I've let Destrik escape. About a week ago I was so close to finally killing him on Saul Karath's ship. Before running off like the coward that he is, he struck a low blow and gave me an injury that left me crippled for the next few days."

Atton gestured toward his leg, and once again, Tren nodded, allowing him to continue.

"And now, we meet up with him again and I'm powerless to have my revenge without anyone interfering. I just want him to die… I need it to be over." 

"Sounds like you and I have something in common after all, buddy," said Tren grimly, noticing the dark shadow that seemed to pass over Atton's face. "After what he did to my sister, I'd like nothing more than to watch Destrik die. He put Rani through so much unnecessary pain… one of these days, I'd just like to give him a taste of what it means to suffer. I want him to know the meaning of pain. I'm tired of being held back."

"Yeah, I hear you…" Atton said simply before two men fell into silence, reflecting upon their similar thoughts of revenge. Surprisingly, the stillness of the room was not tense or awkward. Instead, it indicated a personal understanding of one another.

"So," said Atton, finally breaking the silence after several moments. "You wanna get a drink? You know, get your mind off of things? I have some Juma that I've been saving, but it seems like we could both use a good drink at the moment."

Trentyn's eyebrows raised in interest as he gave a slight smile, gladly accepting the offer. 

"Sure, man. I never reject a free drink."

"Well, I guess that's two things we have in common, then."

Atton grinned and Tren chuckled slightly before they both headed off to Atton's assigned dorm in hopes of easing their troubled minds with a bit of alcohol.

---------------

Carth relinquished the ship's controls to Han and Indy while Merc bustled about serving up refreshments to relax the frazzled crew. Carth gave a tug to his uniform and walked down the corridors, pausing when he came to the closed doors of the medbay. No sound stirred from behind them, and for a moment, he was deathly afraid.

He barged into the room without announcing himself. Mical, whose hair was tucked behind a surgical mask, looked up from a comatose Rani who lay like a waxen figure upon the medical cot. Carth strained his eyes when he walked into the pale, sterile white light.

"How is she?"

"Admiral, I would prefer if you didn—''

"I said how is she?" Carth repeated, his voice accumulating urgency in order to drive his point home. Mical nodded toward the far corner of the ovular room so they wouldn't disturb the sleeping Rani.

When he was sure they were out of earshot, Mical's eyes narrowed at the Admiral.

"She is stable, but in critical condition. Thankfully, the pregnancy was not far along, otherwise the consequences might have been fatal. For now, she will need to rest and regain her strength if she is to heal properly. And that means—" added Mical with a sharp glare, "No unexpected intrusions."

"All right," Carth said, running a hand through his hair. It waved in response to his hand, then settled back into its normal position. "I had to see her…to be sure she was all right."

"Your concern is notable. As long as she is allotted proper time to rest, her body will heal."

Carth had both arms crossed over his chest, silently taking in everything the doctor had to say. He had a tough time believing this was the best remedy for Rani. What she needed was to be happy and laugh, not lounge around on some bed being attended by a morose doctor who, half the time, looked as though he were keeping a death vigil.

"I'll see her later," Carth said, walking out of the door without waiting for an answer.

"Admiral, that would not be wise—"

"I said I'll see her later," Carth repeated, resentment coloring his words. "There are a lot of things we need to discuss. _A lot _of things."

Mical's fair eyebrows knotted together in consternation. He had just finished administering Rani an injection to ease some of the abdominal pain and cramps she was surely suffering.

"Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Carth nodded. That was a good enough answer for him. He would wait, and when Rani was awake, he would confront her about everything--Destrik, the baby, his son, what had gone down in the shadowlands... he wondered if the whole thing had been orchestrated for Destrik to purposefully rid her of an unwanted nuisance. Or perhaps his plan had backfired when he saw he was on the losing end of a freakishly outnumbered battle.

Carth closed his eyes, the vein in his forehead feeling like it was going to pop. Shortly before Rani collapsed, Destrik had landed a punch straight in her stomach. The fetus had served as the target that couched the majority of the blow, resulting in a bloody miscarriage right there in the woodland. Mical had carried her all the way through the wood to Merc's ship. Thankfully, she was out for much of that time. If Carth had to guess, she'd slipped into unconsciousness sometime after the blow, sparing her further pain and grief.

But when she woke to find things had changed, what then? Carth banished the thought, letting his eyes take in the broad sweep of the main hold, where various members of the crew sat scattered around a Pazaak table. The ship itself was outfitted more for comfort than luxury, but it suited their purposes well.

"Admiral," Merc said brusquely over the fizzling of her comm link. "Admiral, come here. I think I'm making contact."

Carth used his hand, which was resting comfortably on a chair back, to propel him forward to where Merc was seated at her computer console. The terminal had an open connection to some unknown source.

"With whom?" he questioned her, leaning over her shoulder to gaze back at the nonsensical Galactic Basic that scrolled across the terminal's computer face.

"I don't know," Merc said.

"Put it through," Carth ordered her. She balanced her finger over the transmitter button, looking to him for guidance. He nodded insistently.

"Do it!"

She did as he commanded, thumbing the large, red button to open the lines of communication. As she did so, a fuzzy image of a large, brooding man appeared on the screen. The transmission picked up more static than sound, adding to what was already a muddled picture.

"Admiral Onasi," the man greeted Carth, who had ejected Merc from her seat temporarily to intercept the transmission. Carth's finger lingered over the button, in case he had to break it quickly or needed to make a quick exit.

"How do you know who I am?" the Admiral asked uncertainly. He couldn't tell if it was a trap as yet, but the man on the receiving end of the transmission seemed calm, confident, and self-assured. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about him.

"Everybody has heard of the legendary Carth Onasi," the man scoffed. Carth could see just enough to know the man was wearing the armor customarily worn by Mandalorians. It had a pristine sheen to it that was admirable; even Carth, for all his rank, couldn't get his armor to shine like that, no matter how much scrubbing or polishing he did.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same of you," Carth said, entirely unapologetic. The man cackled. Though his face and voice were hidden and muffled by the restrictive armor, Carth could sense definite amusement in the tone.

"My name is unimportant," the man said, "I am known by my clan simply as 'Mandalore.'"

"No," Carth replied, "That's impossible. Mandalore was killed at Malachor V. Everybody knows that. I witnessed it."

The picture was interrupted by a line of static feed. Carth got the distinct impression this little conversation wasn't going to last that long.

"Well witness this," Mandalore said with an authoritative command in his voice, "I am not dead. And furthermore, I am sending you a summons."

Carth's eyes scanned over the crude tracking system to detect where Mandalore's signal was originating from.

"Dxun," he said.

"How very perceptive of you, Admiral Onasi," Mandalore said coldly. "I expect your entire crew to be there, even the zabraks."

"How can I be sure you won't kill us all on sight?"

"You have my word," Mandalore replied with a deep reverence.

"The word of a Mandalorian. Ha! What good is it?"

"My word is my life," Mandalore replied fiercely, affronted by Carth's suggestion. "Any man who would go back on his word is not a true Mandalorian."

"Yeah, well, I know quite a few who would," Carth shot back, just as quickly.

"Mercs, no doubt," Mandalore replied, the static interruption giving his voice a raspy, wheezing sound. "Most of them scattered after Malachor, offered their services for hire."

"A course of action I'm told most Mandalorians condone," the Admiral replied waspishly, trying desperately to ensnare the own man in his net. It wasn't working, however. If anyone was the victor in this case, it was certainly Mandalore.

"Another sad mistake on your part," Mandalore growled, "Listen to me, Admiral. I am trying to rally my troops to glory, once again. Troops that now lie scattered across half the galaxy. I am trying to build the Mandalorians up again into a strong, effective fighting force. And you are going to help me."

"And why should I do that?" Carth asked petulantly.

"Because I have something you want," Mandalore said.

"Go on," Carth commanded him, scratching his whiskers as Mandalore continued to talk. He was trying the tactical, political approach by not jumping to conclusions right away and showing Mandalore his hand. That was one thing he'd learned from that useless Pazaak game that the scoundrel so favored.

"Dxun's tomb holds many wonders, none more miraculous than the Book of Life."

Carth had to prevent himself from choking. Any single misstep might give Mandalore the bargaining advantage. For now, he decided that to play it stupid was in his best interest.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't, Admiral. Which is why I shall contact Master Destrik with the location of this book and plans for payment following the conclusion of our discussion."

Carth's thumb balanced a hair away from the button to disrupt the transmission, but he had to force himself not to push it.

"No. You can't. You don't understand. If that book falls into the wrong hands--Sith hands—it could destroy the galaxy!"

"I knew you'd see things my way," Mandalore croaked. Without giving Carth a chance to respond, he added, "Just be here in twenty standard hours. I'll transmit the coordinates to your navicomputer. Don't come late."

With that, the transmission fizzled out into a black screen. Carth's eyes narrowed at the screen, and he balled his hand into a fist as though wanting to punch it. He secretly cursed the bad luck with which they'd met on the more recent leg of their journey.

Carth spun upward from his seat, allowing Merc to slip back into her command post. Unknowingly, Bastila had crept up behind the Admiral and had once hand balanced on her lightsaber. She stood at complete and total attention, waiting for a command. When none came, however, she merely inquired,

"We are not actually going to do what he says, are we?"

"We have no other choice, Bastila." Carth massaged his eyelids and temples with his callused hands. "Mandalore holds all the cards now. If the Sith get hold of that book first—there's no telling what kind of havoc they might wreak on the galaxy!"

"We don't have the funds needed to meet whatever high price he has in mind," Bastila stated, tapping her foot against the floorboards in exasperation.

"We're not going to pay him."

"We're not?" she merely echoed inquisitively.

"No. We're going to go and see what he has to say, bargain a little, then see what happens."

"The book will not come without a price. Which is why I was hoping it was still entombed on Dxun when we arrived. As it is, the Mandalorians have beaten us to the punch," Bastila said, stroking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her blue eyes gazed fervently at the Admiral, her commanding officer.

"We'll just have to play it by ear. Be smart about it. Don't let them get the jump on you. Understand, Bastila?"

"Yes, Carth, I understand."

"Good. Go and alert the others that we'll be landing soon. We have to meet Mandalore in twenty standard hours, which doesn't leave us much time for the trek to his camp."

"Very well," Bastila replied in annoyance, a little miffed at being so masterfully ordered around. Carth was beginning to become the bane of her existence--much as was everyone else on this ship.

Bastila walked away to do her commanding officer's bidding, sending word round the ship of their intent to land on Dxun. Indy replied loudly to this with,

"Yeah? I just hope they're not planning to send a boarding party once we land."

"Me too," Carth muttered under his breath, more to himself than the actual crew.

------------

Trentyn and Atton stumbled out of the dorm room, laughing and singing drunkenly. Both had a taste for alcohol, especially to drown out their sorrows. They stumbled into the main hold of the ship, finding only Bastila and Igrayne. Bastila sat in a chair, her back straight, and head lifted, inputting some information into a datapad. Igrayne had been meditating on the floor of the large circular room, until the men's laughter broke into her concentration.

Both Bastila and Igrayne stared at the men, slightly anxious about their behaviors. After all, each was a bit too much to handle on his own. Put them together, and mix in some alcohol, and the results were hard to predict.

"Igrayne!" Tren exclaimed when he saw her, "did I ever tell you that I love brunettes?"

Trentyn shot her his winning smile, obviously attempting to flirt with her.

"Wait, Tren, remember what I told you… that one likes to blow the horn, if you know what I'm saying," Atton said, while chuckling and elbowing Tren in the ribs.

Igrayne knew that both men were roaring drunk. It was apparent in their thick voices and slightly slurred speech, but this didn't help her embarrassment that Atton had finally told someone about walking in on her and Bao in the garage. Igrayne didn't move from her spot on the floor, hoping that the two men would turn their attention elsewhere. 

"Bastila!" Tren exclaimed when he saw the other woman in the room, "did I ever tell you that-"

"You love brunettes?" Bastila finished. Her expression was hard to read, she was either annoyed or amused, or both.

"Well, I guess not all brunettes," Tren replied. Atton and Tren dissolved in a pile of laughter. They both thought that the other was beyond hilarious.

As the men recovered from their fit of laughter, Trentyn sat up, eyes widening as they alighted on Bastila again. He was finding her too easy of a target…

"Hey, Bastila, do you like to sing?" Tren asked.

"Well, uh, that has never been a priority of mi-"

"So, basically you can't," Atton said.

"I can!" Tren shouted.

"Let's hear it then!" Atton yelled back, just as excited.

Trentyn began singing in a surprisingly melodious and clear baritone, and the song would have been a great one, if it weren't for the words.

"_Bastila, Bastila, I think you are spoiled and rich._"

Bastila definitely did not look amused anymore, this only encouraged Tren, along with Atton's unstoppable laughter.

"_Maybe it's because you act like a bitch._"

Igrayne couldn't even help cracking a smile, which she hid from Bastila by staring at her lap.

"_You're always crying and whining, you're such a big pain._"

"_And you moan even more than Igrayne!_"

Igrayne groaned. She hoped that Trentyn wouldn't always be taking advantage of the information that Atton had told him about her. Bastila was standing now, staring at Tren like she was contemplating kicking him where it counts. This didn't discourage him though, and he continued with his teasing song.

"_Bastila, Bastila, your words cut like broken glass,_"

"_And you walk like you have a stick up your asssssssssss!_"

Atton was rolling around on the floor now, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

Bastila stormed up to Trentyn. Her stature was small compared to his, but she attempted to look as imposing as possible, jutting her chin out and standing as tall as she could.

"Trentyn! You embarrass yourself and the—"

Before she could say anymore, Tren grabbed her, dipped her very low, and landed a kiss right on her lips.

Igrayne jumped up in surprise, ready to interfere should things get ugly after this. Bastila's eyes widened and she froze as Tren kissed her, but much to Igrayne's surprise, she seemed to give into the kiss, closing her eyes, and moving her head slightly to complement the movement of Tren's lips. Not two seconds after Bastila's submission, Tren stopped kissing her and dropped her, and she fell loudly on the durasteel floor of the hold. Atton's laughter had silenced during the kiss, but the sight of the thoroughly kissed and angry Bastila sprawled on the floor released a fresh batch of belly laughs from him.

"_Bastilllllllaaaaaaaa!_" Trentyn sang, in a flourishing finish to his impromptu song.

Before Bastila could get up from her position on the floor, Carina came storming into the room, looking very angry. She barely took notice to the chaotic scene, and instead marched straight to her destination in front of Tren.

"Your sister needs peace and quiet and you are out here causing a ruckus!" Carina said, jabbing her finger into his chest.

"Hey," Tren began, looking like a sad puppy and rubbing his chest where she had poked him, "you could've broken off my xiphoid process."

Carina didn't miss a beat, "very good, you know where your bones are," she said in a sarcastic tone, "want a cookie?"

"What else can you give me?" he asked her, his voice loaded with innuendo.

Carina turned pink, and Atton emitted a strange squeaky laugh.

Tren smiled and then threw his arm around her shoulder companionably. Carina didn't shrug it off. As inappropriate as Tren was acting, it was a nice break from the overbearing solemnity of the ship. 

"Seriously though," he asked, "how is she?"

"Rani will be okay, she just needs a bit of time for peace and quiet."

"Can I see her?"

"Not like this," Carina said with a disapproving glance.

"I know… but later?"

"Of course, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you," Carina replied, smiling.

"Thanks, I'll be quieter now, I promise."

Carina began to leave the room, when Tren stopped her.

"Carina?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any dark side in you?"

Tren's voice was so soft and his face serious, and Carina furrowed her brow wondering what the intent of his question was. She didn't answer, and instead waited for him to say something.

"Do you want some?" Tren said winking, his face now sporting a huge grin.

Carina rolled her eyes, and headed back to the medbay as Atton broke out again in hysterical laughter.

"Hey man, let's go play some drunken Pazaak!" Atton suggested.

"Sounds great, let's go!"

Both men left the room, neither taking a second look at Igrayne or Bastila, who was now standing with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Don't mind Tren," Igrayne began, feeling a tiny bit sorry for the way that Bastila had played right into Tren's hands, "he doesn't mean any harm by it."

Bastila turned her gaze to Igrayne. Igrayne was surprised to see the cloudy look in Bastila's eyes, almost if she were about to cry or something.

"Excuse me," Bastila said in her normal tone, her shaky voice betraying her. "I must go do… something."

Bastila left the room suddenly, and Igrayne wondered if she should go after her. But before Igrayne could decide whether or not to follow Bastila, Merc walked into the hold.

"Is everything all right?" Merc asked, still wearing black from head to toe.

--------------

In the medbay, Carina was anxious about Rani, watching her still form on the cot.

Mical was industriously doing tests on Rani's blood sample, determined to make sure that she would make a full recovery. Carina walked over to Mical. Even though she was still worried about the kiss she had shared with Mical, her concern for Rani outweighed her fear to speak with Mical.

"So," she said, hoping to start a conversation, "we're landing on Dxun."

"Yes we are," Mical replied, not taking his eyes away from his task.

"Do you think she'll be recovered by the time we get there?"

Mical looked at her this time when he responded, frowning slightly, "I doubt it, we will be there in the morning, and she needs at least a couple of days…"

"When she wakes up," Carina continued, concerned about her friend, "will she know what happened?"

"It's hard to say. She will probably remember the fight and that she was injured, but will she know that she lost the baby? I doubt it."

Carina dropped her eyes, sorrow building in her heart for her friend.

"Who should tell her?" she asked.

"I think we both should," he answered, removing his gloves and mask and washing his hands, "she needs all of our support."

Carina walked over to the side of Rani's cot. She was so still that she looked like she had been cut from stone. The sight of her friend was so tragic, Carina had to reach out and hold her hand, feeling the warmth of it, to convince herself that Rani was not a statue. Mical walked up behind Carina, his lips close to her ear as he softly spoke to her.

"She is lucky to have a friend like you."

Carina released her friend's hand, and gently adjusted a runaway strand of Rani's mane of hair. Mical stepped away from her, and Carina found herself wishing that he hadn't.

-------------

Carth turned over the accursed crystal in his hands, thinking about the price Rani's paid to get it back from Destrik. There was something about the crystal that bothered Carth, the way it seemed to feed off and amplify his darker thoughts. When he held it in his hands, his anger and frustration with their situation increased almost to the point that he wanted to hit something. Instead, he calmly put the crystal down on the table in front of him. Now that he was physically separated from it, he felt the need to get it out of his possesion. He scooped it up in his hand, and tried not to drop it, when the uncomfortably hot surface of it touched his hand. He searched out Indy, walking through the main hold. He found Merc and Igrayne talking, and he asked them where Indy was. Merc indicated that she was still in the cockpit with Han. Carth promptly marched to meet her.

"Indy?"

"Yes, Admiral Onasi?"

The somber mood of the ship was even effecting Indy.

"I think it is best that you hold on to this," Carth replied to her, placing the crystal in her hands.

Her eyes widened with relief as she saw it.

"How did you get this back from Destrik?"

"I didn't, Rani did. Apparently she didn't only fight him to escape him..."

Indy was so happy that she wanted to burst into the medbay and hug Rani, but since that was out of the question, she excitedly hugged Carth instead, who chuckled at her enthusiam.

"Do you know what this means?" Indy said to both Carth and Han.

Han smiled at her, "what does it mean?"

"It means that they can't open the Book of Death without it! This buys us more time and a chance to get the Book of Death back!"

------------

Evy had staked out the medbay for her own personal use while Mical tended to Rani. He needed a nurse to assist him with any medical procedures, and she had offered her services almost as soon as he asked. Rani was comatose, though, so that left her to sleep with one eye open in the small chair of that room.

Evy stirred when she heard Mical enter.

"How is she?" he asked, pulling on his Jedi robes. Evy rubbed the sleep from her eyes and tried to mask the fact that she had not been awake.

"Asleep."

Mical's eyebrow rose questioningly at her.

"As are you, I see."

"Sorry," Evy said. "I haven't gotten much sleep while on here. The ship keeps bucking, and it's giving me one hell of a headache."

A smile briefly lighted Mical's placid features. He delved through a bin of medical tools to find what he was looking for.

"Speaking of which, where were you?" Evy asked.

"Speaking with Atton and Trentyn," Mical said hastily, not wanting to expound upon the subject. Evy forced herself to sit a little straighter as she inquired,

"Really? And what did our passengers have to say, anything of use?"

"Our passengers are both happily drunk," Mical said, his voice projecting over his shoulder when his back was turned to her. He took out a small thermometer and held it to Rani's head to check her temperature. The bacta patches had helped with the swelling, but not with the fever. That was why Mical took precise care to check her temperature every hour on the hour, to be sure it didn't progress. Any sudden new development might spell doom for the indisposed Rani.

"Well, there's a surprise," Evy muttered as she folded medical blankets and tucked them under her arm.

"And why aren't you with them?" she suddenly demanded.

"Such things have never held a lure for me," Mical said softly.

Evy was impressed with his admirable restraint. Somehow, she could never quite picture Mical as the loud, boisterous type. He never quite fit the mold. He was much more devoted to his studies and the healing arts than to fun and carelessness. As a result, he had a naivete about him that she found refreshing.

"Yes, well, Atton said something rather curious to me," Mical said, and Evy could sense a line of questioning was soon to follow.

"That is?"

"He was muttering some nonsense, but I started paying attention when he said something of substance. He spoke of a woman—something about how she had _woken him up inside_," Mical replied, recounting the words to the best of his ability.

"You mean like—"

"I'm sure it was nothing improper. He mentioned that he had met her during the wars, briefly, and that she had shown him the Force. I knew Atton was Sith, but I never knew he had the Force in him," Mical said, arranging his medical instruments on a small tray near the head of Rani's cot. "That makes him dangerous. Doubly so."

"I don't understand. What do you think this woman said to him?" Evy asked, sliding from a sitting position to her feet.

"I do not know. But I'm sure whatever it was must have been important enough for him to tell me, even in his rather inebriated state," Mical said, his wide, innocent eyes holding hers for a fraction of a second. Evy rubbed her chin as she mulled over what he was saying.

"When you say Atton was Sith, you don't mean like big, scary robes Sith?"

"No, of course not," Mical said, "That kind of connection would leave a mark upon the flesh. As the dark side reigns over each victim, the flesh weakens and rots. The effect would disfigure him."

Evy closed her eyes and recalled that day she and Jeran had run into battle. She recalled the pristine, chrome armor the Sith troopers had worn while infiltrating the small base they were protecting. She wondered if Atton had been among them, that day. If he had, he certainly hadn't made his presence known.

"The Sith assassins were loyal to Revan. It was she who trained them," Mical noted, "They were her special force. A connection like that...you never forget it. I think Atton may be haunted by what happened in the wars."

"Maybe I should try talking to him when he is sober," Evy suggested, rolling her shoulders.

"Perhaps," Mical replied, "But I wonder what he meant by approaching me. Perhaps there is some underlying meaning to it all... It is no secret that Atton has never trusted me and probably never will. Perhaps it was his way of reaching out to you, knowing I would feed you the information."

Evy was far away by now. She wasn't even concentrating on the words that exited Mical's mouth. Instead, her thoughts were centered on what he had said about the woman waking Atton up inside. Waking him up to what...more death and bloodshed? She'd have to find answers and interrogate him, as soon as Rani was feeling better.

She couldn't bear the thought of not knowing what this woman had done to him that she could never do.


	30. The Meeting with Mandalore

The tension on the ship was almost palpable. Rani had just miscarried the baby that she'd conceived by being raped by her ex-fiancée, Atton and Trentyn were dead drunk, Evy seemed to be on edge for some reason, and as for the rest of them...it was just being cooped up on the ship.

Carina hated space travel, or more...she hated flying period. It was restrictive and a bit confining to be trapped in a ship for long arduous hours, or weeks, or months.

She'd spent a lot of time with Rani as of late, but she hadn't woken up yet. Carina worried dearly for her friend, because she honestly didn't know how Rani would react to the news that she'd lost the baby.

Carina sat, lounging in the medbay, waiting for Rani to wake up even though she knew that she wasn't going to just get better in a matter of hours. Destrik had wounded her pretty badly, not only physically but mentally as well.

Then there was Carth. Rani loved him, and it was obvious to see whenever the two were together. Carth's feelings towards her, on the other hand, were difficult for Carina to comprehend...even with her Jedi training.

"Carina," Bastila said quietly as she slipped into the medbay.

"Bastila," Carina replied, uninterested.

"How is she?" Bastila asked.

"Like you even care," Carina shot at her.

Bastila didn't make any action to even hint at her hearing the insult. "I do not know why everyone seems to have an agenda against me when I am only doing what is required of me. Yet, everyone befriends the Sith."

"He has a name."

Bastila thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, Trentyn, was it?"

Carina was feeling moody, but then again...when anything involving Jedi popped up, she got all angry and frustrated. More so when she thought about her dead family. She was alone in this world, practically all alone. She hated that fact.

"Maybe because Trentyn is loyal enough to us," Carina replied.

"A Sith's loyalties lie only with himself, never to others," Bastila said, sounding as if reciting one of the Council's many phrases.

Carina flinched at the thought of the Council. "Trentyn's a good person from what I've gathered, a bit...wild, but other than that...and he loves his sister."

"And look what has happened to her."

"What are you implying...?"

"Only what you've already surmised from the situation. The Sith bring pain and darkness wherever they go, regardless of whom they are with or where they are going." Bastila said.

Carina remained silent, mulling the thought over.

"But enough about that," Bastila finished imperiously, "I want to know what you have been doing these past years."

"What do you mean?"

"Do not play ignorant with me, Carina. We've all heard stories of you and your... exploits, as it were." Bastila pushed a piece of hair back behind her shoulders.

"It's none of your or anyone else's business." Carina turned to give her the cold shoulder. She wished Rani would wake up.

"But it is my business, the Council wishes to know," Bastila explained. "There are more than one reason to why I am even here, you must have already realized that."

"The Council sent you to _spy_ on us?" Carina asked, dumbfounded.

"Not all of you, merely yourself and Evy. Igrayne is an entirely different matter which I will not delve into." Bastila waved her hand, dismissing that conversation altogether.

"You have no right—"

"I do. The Council has given me these rights," Bastila said, frowning. "There is something about your family that you should know."

Carina didn't want to hear it. She knew something terrible was coming...and she did not want to hear it. It was hard enough blocking out all the memories without continually getting news on them.

"I—"

"They live, Carina." Carina let out a gasp. "Not all of them, but your brother and father are alive."

"No, it...I...you're wrong," Carina protested.

Bastila shook her head. "This was the kind of response I figured I would get. They are alive, and they are aiding the Sith in the war effort. I wouldn't be surprised if they were in allegience with Destrik already."

This was like a blow to the heart. Some of her family was... _alive_. "There's nothing I can do."

"The Council has granted you a second chance, Carina. Should you be successful this time...they will accept you back into the Jedi and you will reattain your rank as Knight." Bastila explained, smiling faintly.

"No."

"No?"

"I won't do it. Get someone else to do your Council's dirty work!" Carina yelled. "I am sick to death of the Council! And you can bloody well tell them that when you get back...if you get back, that is."

"Carina—"

"No, save it for someone who gives a damn, cause I certainly don't."

Bastila nodded and merely said, "As you wish," before leaving the medbay to, no doubt, bother someone else.

Carina slunk deeper into her chair. Why was the Force testing her like this? What had she done to deserve it! She cried silent tears, mainly for her broken past...but now for her living family.

They..._were_ _alive_. It was inconceivable.

"Carina?" a small voice mumbled.

"Rani! You're awake!" Carina exclaimed, wiping away the few last remnants of her tears.

"I feel horrible."

"Don't try to move just yet. You still need plenty of rest."

"What happened?"

Carina swallowed. "Rani, this going to be hard for you to hear but...the baby's gone."

"Gone?" Rani cried.

"You lost it when Destrik wounded you. I'm so sorry," Carina managed, trying to phrase it as nicely as she could.

Rani seemed horrified. "No, I..."

"Rani, I'll go get Carth. He wanted to see you—"

"No!" Rani objected weakly. "I don't want him to see me like this."

"But—"

"Please, Carina?" Rani pleaded.

Carina relented. "All right, but you are seeing Mical. I'll go get him."

After she left, Rani had a good cry over everything that had happened...including losing the baby.

-------------

That night in the ship passed by quickly for some and excruciatingly slowly for others.

Mercedes had taken over piloting of her ship, so that Indy and Han could get some much-needed rest.

Han slept soundly in the dorm room they shared together, snoring loudly, but that was not what kept Indy awake. The crystal was placed on the small table right by her single bed, and it was emitting a faint amber glow. She could not keep her eyes off of it, and her nervousness and fear grew the longer she stared at it.

_No matter what, I must get that the Book of Death back… without it, going after the Book of Life is useless…_

Indy got no sleep that night, as she laid on her back, with her trusty fedora resting on her chest, staring at the accursed thing that gave her both hope and fear… the crystal.

In the adjacent room, Trentyn was in the heavy sleep that came from overindulging in alcohol. Atton, who had matched Tren drink for drink, however, was haunted in his dreams by visions of her, the one who he once thought he could never live without.

Bao-Dur worked late into the night, fiddling with his remote, his mechanical arm, the ship's engine, anything he could get his hands on. His mind was the clearest when he was absorbed in his work; it was almost better than meditation. Later on, he found the room he shared with Kevan, and before dropping off to sleep, they both shared companionable conversation.

Evy had spent most of the rest of her evening occupied with thoughts of Atton and the mystery woman from his past. She knew from Mical and from Atton himself that this woman had been very important to Atton, had "woken him up inside," and had eventually betrayed him. Other than these intriguing bits of information, she knew little about the situation. Evy shared the room with Carina, and both women laid silently in their beds, thinking deep into the night. Carina was more than shocked to have heard about her father and brother's survival. Her anger with the Jedi council increased as she realized that they must have hid this secret from her for years… years that she spent in agony over their deaths.

Igrayne had, unfortunately, been stuck sharing a room with Bastila. The Jedi refused to talk since her little kissing incident with Tren, and Igrayne suspected that Bastila was mighty embarrassed. Igrayne was actually glad that Bastila wasn't speaking. The last thing Igrayne needed was another lecture about the way proper Jedi handle themselves.

Mical wanted to give Rani as much privacy as possible as she dealt with her grief. Her full recovery was his top priority, though, so he insisted on checking up on her ever hour or so. In between visits, he would meditate or catch some sleep in the plush chair in the main hold. He had spoken earlier with Carth, and he had told the Admiral about his renewed vows to the Jedi. They had discussed many things, the Jedi Order, Rani, Carina, the expedition… It had felt good for both men to talk, and although it was not the most open of conversations, each had an understanding of the other that helped both to prepare to face the trials ahead.

Carth was accustomed to forcing himself to sleep regardless of the circumstances; it was part of being a soldier. This night, however, he found himself unable to rest. Mical had not allowed Carth to visit Rani again. Carth had been very relieved to find out that she had awoken, but the soft sobbing he heard through the door of the medbay confirmed his suspicion, that Rani was distraught at the loss of the child.

Rani cried a lot throughout the night, letting up only when Mical came to see her. Once, earlier in the night, she had not been able to suppress the tears. She was embarrassed as the stoic doctor viewed her uncomfortably. Much to her surprise though, Mical had hugged her, and comforted her for a long time. She cried onto his shoulder as he placed a consoling arm around her, and listened to her anguished thoughts, murmuring soft words when she needed them. But now, she was alone, and wanted it to stay that way for a while. Rani didn't have the strength to face anyone yet, especially Carth.

Rani was an incredibly resilient woman, and that came with the experience of facing many hardships in life. She knew that soon, she would be able to deal with the pain, but for now, it was almost unbearable. Rani felt guilty for putting her unborn child in danger like she had when she had attacked Destrik. She had succeeded in getting the crystal back from him, by sneaking a hand into his pocket when he had grabbed her during their fight, but in exchange, she had given up her baby's chance at life. A part of her had thought that Destrik wouldn't harm her, but he hadn't known that she had been carrying his baby. Rani wondered bitterly if it would have even made a difference to him.

The next morning, both Carth and Tren arrived at the door to the medbay.

"What are _you_ doing here, Republic?" Tren questioned Carth without a smile.

"I could ask the same of you," Carth said, trying not to let Tren get a rise out of him.

"Who are you to her, anyway? I'm her brother. I deserve to see her."

"You drank yourself to sleep last night instead of being there for her," Carth replied, deliberately ignoring Trentyn's question.

"And where were you when Destrik forced that child into her!" Trentyn said, raising his voice, his blue eyes flashing with anger.

Hot guilt came rushing over Carth, meeting with his anger over the entire messed up situation. He was speechless, but he didn't have to stand there long, because Mical soon came to the door, closing it quickly behind him. Carth only got a glance of Rani's head bent down, her curtain of hair blocking his view of her face.

"I suggest neither of you argue anymore. She refuses to see anyone," Mical said, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically hard edge.

Carth and Tren decided not to argue with the doctor or even with each other for the time being.

------------

Indy sat on her bed, the warm, oddly-shaped crystal balanced on her palm.

Han bustled into the room they shared, fresh from the shower. His hair dripped a bit of water down his shirtless torso. Indy thought that nothing could distract her thoughts from the artifact in her hand… she was wrong.

Han barely glanced at her as he rubbed his head vigorously with his towel, the tight muscles in his arms flexing to the movement. Indy set the crystal down and enjoyed her reprieve from her dark thoughts as Han ran his fingers through his damp hair. He threw his towel on his unmade bed, and gave Indy a quick sidelong glance. He did a double take after he noticed that he held her undivided attention.

"What's on your mind, Rheya?" he asked her, gifting her his sexy smile.

"Don't call me that," she said roughly.

"Why? Isn't that your name?"

"It was my name… but I am… different now," she said, meaning it for the first time.

He stood still, watching her. Her eyes swept over him as if this was the first time she was truly seeing him… maybe it was. Her gaze drifted from his intense yet bright eyes, moved to his sensually crooked smile, and then stopped on a tiny drop of water that slid slowly down his chest. She couldn't ignore the urge to touch him, so she stood up and stood right in front of him. Her hand hovered right above his skin, so close that she could almost feel his taut stomach as her hand drifted upwards. Finally, her heart pounding in her chest now, she touched the drop of water; it was warm from his body heat.

As soon as she initiated the contact, Han could no longer keep his hands to himself. His hands found her hips, and he ran them slowly around the top edge of her pants. Indy allowed him to pull her against his body as she traced the muscles in his back with her slightly trembling hands. He was too tall for her to reach his lips, so she settled for running her hot lips along his collarbone, stopping to tease him with her mouth on the sensitive base of his neck.

Suddenly, as if he had been restraining himself for a while and could no longer do it, he hoisted her up in his arms, bringing her lips to his. He was tantalizingly slow and gentle at first, as if he did not want to overwhelm her, but as she responded enthusiastically to his embrace, he knew that she wanted this too. His kiss intensified, and Indy thought she had never tasted anything sweeter than Han's mouth. He stopping kissing her momentarily to help her tug off her shirt that she had been unsuccessfully trying to remove.

He alternated between kissing her and helping her remove her clothing. Indy hadn't really planned on it getting this far, but Han was being so gentle and loving that she couldn't help but desire to be with him as completely as she could.

Finally, they both found themselves totally undressed, her back to the wall, and Han bending over to shower her with his intoxicating kisses. She gently pushed him back as he kissed her, trying to hint to him that she was ready for the bed. Instead, he held both of her wrists and pinned her firmly, but gently to the wall.

"Han," she said, her voice thick with need, "let's go to the bed."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" she said, a flush creeping up her cheeks. It was hard enough for her to tell him that she wanted him in the bed, but it was worse for him to turn her down.

"You have to promise me that you won't kill yourself just to get that dmn book," his expression was serious.

"Is this what this is about? I have to, Han, there is no way around it," she said stubbornly.

Han was still holding her wrists, almost as if he were afraid that she would disappear if he wasn't holding her.

"Dammit, Indy! I won't let you do it! You have to come back to me…" he trailed off as tears sprung to his eyes.

She just stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe that he cared enough to be consumed by the fear of losing her.

"You can't do it. Promise me, Indy… You have stay with me because I… because I love you."

At these words he released her.

"Oh no you don't!" Indy yelled, angry that she wasn't getting what she wanted. "I never gave you a hard time about all those dmn smuggling runs you made!"

As she yelled at him, she pushed him forcefully down on the bed. She stood right in front of him, hands on her hips, ignoring the fact that both of them were stark naked.

"I have to do this, Han! You know how much I have wanted to get to the Book of Life! I'm so close now! I will travel in the Valley of Death, but I will come back, because I love you too!"

As soon as the words left her lips, Han pulled her down to him, flipping her so that he lay on top of her on the bed. She gave herself fully over to his control, experiencing pleasure she had never felt before as he tenderly yet insistently stroked and kissed every part of her body. His touch was like magic, awakening feelings and sensations that Indy couldn't believe she had lived so long without.

He stopped, his body draped possessively over hers. Indy had her eyes closed, but she could hear the heavy breathing of both of them. There was a fiery heat that burned inside of her that she needed Han to quell.

"Han?"

"Yes?"

"I've never done _this_ before."

"I know, baby," he said, his voice husky, "are you scared?"

Indy opened her eyes, gazing into the eyes of the man she knew she loved. "No, Han. I trust you."

And for the first time in her life, Indy totally trusted someone, and a man, no less. She thought that she would never be at this point, after what Trentyn did to her and after so many people had abandoned and hurt her.

Han positioned himself and then kissed Indy tenderly and softly as he entered her with as much gentleness as he could muster. Her thighs trembled slightly as a flash of pain shot through her loins, but soon the feeling was overwhelmed by an all-consuming pleasure. She gave into her love to Han, treasuring the intimacy that she was finally sharing with him. The pleasure radiated from the place they were meeting, generating surges of passion that enveloped them both. The perfectly harmonious rhythm of their bodies increased in tempo as their desire climbed to dizzying heights. Soon, powerful waves of pleasure thundered through her body, and Han covered her mouth with his to quiet her blissful moans. He met his climax at the same time, and they crashed together with reckless abandon until their satisfaction was fulfilled.

It had not been but a few minutes, Han and Indy were still in the position that they ended in and trying to recover their breath, when there was a hesitant knock on the door.

Indy gave an anguished groan, most unlike the pleasured noises that were coming from her earlier. She was too tired and too caught up with Han to care what was happening elsewhere.

There was another knock, more insistent this time.

"What!" Han finally answered with irritation.

Igrayne's voice called out softly from the other side of the door.

"I'm really sorry to disturb you right now," she cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable, "but, uh, I don't think you two noticed, but we landed, and the rest of the crew is out here in the main hold waiting."

"Oh, nuts!" Indy cried while pushing Han off of her so that she could get dressed.

Han couldn't help but laugh at her as they both tugged on their clothes.

"What's so funny?" she asked, not able to wipe the silly grin off of her face.

He said nothing, merely gave her a romantic kiss before they headed out to meet the others.

Carth stood in the middle of the room doling out orders to the crew, except Rani, who was still holed up in the medbay.

"Han, Indy," he said when they walked in, "you two will be coming to the Mandalorian base with us, make sure you have the crystal Indy, but keep it hidden."

Indy nodded while hoping that nobody noticed the flush on her cheeks.

"Atton, I'm guessing you'd like to come?" Carth said, noticing Atton's outdoorsy attire.

"Yeah, well, now that I'm healed I'd like to get out of the ship for a while."

Evy glanced at him.

"What! I get spacesick!"

"More like hungover." Tren laughed while slapping Atton playfully on the shoulder.

Mical and Carina argued softly in the corner.

"You are going with them," he said exasperated.

"No, I'm not, I'm staying here with Rani."

"She needs time alone, and rest, and you need to get out of this ship."

Mical was right, but Carina didn't want him to know that. Carth ended the argument for them.

"Carina, you and Evy are coming, in case someone needs medical attention," Carth exchanged a meaningful look with Mical as he said this, and Carina wondered what it meant.

"I would like to join you, Admiral, if that is alright," Bao said softly.

"Of course Bao, you and Kevan should come with us."

"I'm staying," Trentyn said loudly, "_someone_ needs to protect my sister."

Carth clenched his jaw at the comment, he wanted to ensure Rani's safety just as much as her brother did.

"Mical, you already told me that you wish to stay. Igrayne, could you stay and assist him with Rani?"

"Yes, of course," she replied.

"Bastila, you should stay too, I want there to be enough of you here to handle something should the worst happen."

Bastila looked frustrated that she would have to be staying in the ship with Trentyn, but looked too ashamed to bring it up.

Merc elected to stay with the ship while the rest of the crew headed toward the Mandalorian camp.

-------------

Bastila emerged from the landing ramp of the ship geared in a pair of pants with Corellian bloodstripes and a thin, white top. If she was trying to erase any trace of her Jedi past, it wasn't a convincing disguise.

"What is this, Bastila? You elected to stay with the ship," Carth said in annoyance, his features screwed up.

"Yes, well, as I was not given a chance to speak for myself before, I shall do so now," Bastila informed him imperiously. "I am coming."

Carth waved a dismissive hand at her.

"Fine, but you're not my liability."

"I don't intend on becoming one."

"Good to hear. Let's move out, troops!" Carth said huskily.

Dxun's jungle was flooded with wildlife and a harsh outpouring of exotic flora and fauna that seemed almost tame in comparison to Kashyyyk. The overgrowth impeded their steps, constricting movement. As a result, their progress was delayed.

After another hour of this, Carth raised a hand.

"Let's take a minute," he announced. Though he wasn't winded from the walk, he could definitely sense that the others were having a difficult time. The party scattered as Carth gave his command and sat down on a tree stump. He dug the heels of his boot soles into the murky ground underfoot.

"Admiral, if I may have a word?" Kevan asked, appearing from seemingly nowhere. The regal Zabrak wore a cloak that draped over the crown of horns on his head, its sleeves tugged up over his hands to mask them from view. Carth, momentarily startled by the intrusion, quickly regained his cool. He opened his palm toward him, gesturing to the ground.

"What is it, Kevan?"

Kevan leaned forward, his voice quick and sharp.

"The Jedi and the ex-Sith. They're slowing us down. You must send them back to the ship."

"Atton and Evy?" Carth queried.

"His injury is costing us precious time," Kevan continued, his voice measured. When he spoke, Carth could see his snakelike tongue slip through the gaps in his pointed teeth.

"I won't dismiss my troops. We may need them."

"What good will they be if they can't fight?"

Carth massaged his temples, growing tired of Kevan's pointless pursuit.

"Look," he said, using hand gestures to forcefully drive home his point, "they're staying. It's decided. I've got an eight-man force, I can't risk sending anyone back now."

Kevan nodded his approval—or acquiescence—without another word of it. His stocky build lurched as he walked back toward where Bao-Dur was positioned against a tree. Carth muttered a curse against Zabraks under his breath.

Indy sat nearby, adjusting her fedora. It sat on a sharp angle at the back of her head, soaking up some of the sweat that had beaded on her brow. Carina came by and knocked her hard on the shoulder.

"Hey, Rheya," she said.

Indy tipped her hat further down over her eyes, leaning back for a quick nap as she laced her hands together over her hest.

"You mind? I'm trying to catch a few z's."

Carina moved persistently closer.

"Come on. You don't need to tell me what went on in there. I already know."

Indy faked a series of rather unconvincing snores so as to avoid sharing all the graphic details of her coupling with Han. Carina grew tired of her noncompliance and retreated back to where the others were milling about.

Evy unpacked a few bacta strips from a medical kit she had equipped herself with shortly before leaving Merc's ship. She politely asked Atton to come over and suffer another application of the treatment, which he did. This time, he wasn't as tense. He had grown accustomed to the familiar burn and sting of the bacta's restorative properties. The only testament to his discomfort was his abnormally creased brow.

"That stuff stings like hell," he said, emitting an admirably restrained grunt. Evy secured the bacta in place with medical tape then smoothed it down.

"At least you're up and walking again," she noted. She began packing up her kit, but Atton didn't move from his sitting position.

"Yeah, thanks to the Juma."

And to me, she added mentally.

"Yeah, well, a drink that strong numbs you up to other feelings, too."

Mainly his lack of self-control. Atton was known for throwing his inhibitions to the wind.

"That 'sposed to mean something?" the scoundrel asked, folding down his pant leg. Evy gave an irritable shrug of the shoulders.

"My, sweets, did I touch on a nerve?"

Atton went to her and began massaging the sensitive skin at her neck and shoulders, returning the favor from a few days ago. "Come on, hit me with it."

"It's nothing," Evy said dismissively. She instantly rethought that. "Well, no—it is something. The other night when you were drunk you said something to Mical about some woman.""

Atton said with a charismatic grin,

"You'll have to be more specific, sweets."

It was no secret to her that his exploits had been numerous—some short, some long, most turning out sour in the end. That didn't dim her opinion of him in any way, though, for as much cause it gave her to loathe him.

"Something about a woman who woke you up inside. He didn't give me any specifics."

Atton's lusty demeanor quickly dissolved into an angry snarl, directed squarely at her.

"He told you that?"

"Yeah, and I've been meaning to a—"

"That fool," Atton growled, digging the tip of his boots into the mottled brown-green foliage.

"Is there something you should be telling me?" Evy asked expectantly, with both arms crossed.

"Look, sweets, I don't need to explain anything to you. Not once have I asked you about your dead Jedi lover. Not once."

Evy closed her eyes against the onslaught of insults, absorbing the brunt of them with grace and tact.

"Atton, I only…"

"Forget it," Atton said, waving an arm at her. "I don't need this, especially from you."

Before he had the chance to walk off, however, Evy stammered,

"You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here so we can talk about this."

Atton turned around with a half-puzzled expression plastered on his face, shocked that she would have the gall to try and stop him from doing anything he wanted to do.

"Oh, I'm not, am I? Watch me."

"I should've left you in that cantina on Iridonia, where I found you!" Evy growled.

"Yeah, you should've."

"Jerk!"

"Schutta," Atton muttered under his breath, loud enough for her to hear and take offense to it. It sent her over the edge, and she went storming off toward the others.

"You handled that really well. The epitome of Jedi grace and restraint," Bastila noted from her vantage point by the tree. Evy, however, wasn't amused by the crack.

"Shut up."

Bastila moved to her side blindingly fast.

"That hardly strikes me as an appropriate way to address one of your commanding officers, Evy."

Evy was blue in the face from fighting back the urge to slug Bastila for a second time. The woman had, though, offered to train her as a Jedi. Evy softened her resolve a little at that knowledge.

"I'm sorry," she said very succinctly, "It was rude of me to say that."

"It's quite all right," Bastila replied, nonplused, "With a companion like Atton, I can expect such treatment to stem from your frustrations."

"You were right about him, you know. He can offer me nothing," Evy said, well aware that it was rage that fueled her words.

"But the Jedi can," Bastila said, renewing her offer.

"I can't. Jeran—"

"—Did as he was commanded. He acted on the Jedi Council's orders and carried out his duty," Bastila interrupted her. "Don't delude yourself into thinking the Jedi Council is to blame. People die in war. The innocent…the weak. The casualties, though insurmountable, are a necessary evil. Without Jeran's sacrifice, the battle might never have been won. You should honor his memory instead of dwelling on things that can't be fixed."

"I never thought of it that way," Evy admitted, gathering her hair into a ponytail at the crown of her head. Trekking through the woods was hot and murky, and it left a dampness in her hair that clung to her head.

"Why do you still resist the call of the Jedi?" Bastila asked, adjusting her cropped hair.

"Because they took him from me," Evy said venomously, renewing her assault. Her dislike of the famed Order was quite evident. Bastila wagged a finger at her to counter that statement.

"Ah, but it is your perception that has been altered. You weren't listening before when I said that Jeran did his duty by us. You, too, can aid the Republic by becoming my student."

Evy was about to reject her offer by saying she'd rather die, when a sudden through struck her full force. Here Bastila was, asking—no, begging—for her to make use of her Jedi skills.

Evy wrenched her hands with indecision. Cultivating that amount of power would only help her to fight against the very evil she was seeking to destroy. She would have no intention of joining the Jedi, but Bastila would tutor her, hoping to woo her to the light side. She didn't feel at all guilty by the fact that she'd be lying to the other woman. That's what the Jedi had done to Jeran all along—lied to him about some precious ideal that was supposedly worth dying for, when all they needed was another man to fill their front line.

"You're right," Evy said compliantly, adjusting her tone and demeanor to reflect her change of heart. "I want to become a Jedi. I want to learn. It's the only way I can banish this anger and do good in this galaxy."

A pretty smile brightened Bastila's features as she nodded her approval.

"Very well. First I shall teach you the forms. The one I most favor is teras kasi."

A shadow hovered nearby, interrupting their surreptitious conversation.

"But we must not speak of this now," Bastila added, pitching her voice lower to keep the others from hearing, "Training is better left to closed quarters. I shall train you on the ship."

"Very well, mistress," Evy said, hating the new manner in which she was forced to address the Jedi, but knowing it would serve her purposes in the long run.

Carth ordered for their trek to commence. The dispersed members of the party gathered together once more, securing their packs for the trip.

"Everyone here?" Carth asked.

"Yes, Admiral," Bastila replied, once everyone had been accounted for.

"Good. Let's get going. There's not much time," Carth said, noting the number displayed on the face of his wrist chrono.

They continued until they came to another clearing. An overgrowth of moss hung down from the trees, diminishing the visibility. An eerie sound emerged from the distance.

"What's that?" Atton asked, looking paranoid.

"Kinrath, maybe," Carth surmised, squinting as though trying to decipher the source of the noise.

"No, too large for kinrath," Bao-Dur said softly, his voice pleasant and level. It was as if nothing fazed him.

"Quiet," Carth said, his gloved hand upraised to indicate that he wanted total silence.

"It's nothing, let's go!" Carina upbraided him, strutting forward with determination.

"No!" Carth yelled.

In an instant, several uprooted forms appeared into view. The sight of the decloaking warriors surrounding them put Carth on the offensive. He reached for his gunsaber, but it was too late. One of the soldiers blasted it clean out of his grip, leaving Carth howling as he clutched the hand that the bolt had struck.

Their attackers wore the armor of Mandalorian mercs, though they looked more like common street thugs that frequented the jives in Corellia. They must have used stealth field generators to enable them to creep about in total obscurity. And the sound that had grabbed Carth's attention—he could now see it was the remains of a minor flash mine that had detonated when some unsuspecting creature sest foot in it—which would explain the howling, too. The Mandalorians had been prepared for them.

"Well," the head one sniffed, circling Carth, "Looky here, fellas. I think we got ourselves a Republic."

"Don't try to bully us with your threats," Carth said, trying his best to show no fear in the face of danger.

"How brave of you Mandalorians to come after us with so many men," Bastila taunted, earning her a grudging look from Carth.

"Bastila," he said with annoyance.

The first Mandalorian ceased his bullying of Carth and turned his attentions to Bastila instead. The heavy metal of his glove touched her cheek with a cool sting.

"This one's feisty. She should learn to control her tongue."

When he was close enough, Bastila kneed him sharply in between the legs, a decidedly unpleasant blow to the otherwise smug merc. She half expected her knee to meet with steel encasing, but to her surprise, it was soft and padded—obviously some utilities and features in the armor had been grossly overlooked. The man bowled over in pain, but his place was quickly assumed by two more mean-looking mercs. Bastila had the barrel of a blaster shoved in her face.

"Try it again, pretty, and you say goodbye."

"My friends," Kevan said, "You leave her out of this. Your argument is not with her, nor is it with us. We are just transients, drifting through here…Stop this, now."

"Want to make me, Zabrak?"

Their leader, recovered sufficiently from the blow, held out his hand to prevent a fight from ensuing.

"Mandalore…he sends you a message."

"Is this the kind of welcome we're to expect? Some hospitality!"

"Don't insult me. He sends us as guides. You eight, follow me," the merc said, waving his fingers at them, expecting compliance. What he got was a bunch of puzzled faces.

"No weapons," he added.

Just as the others were about to lay down their assortment of blasters and vibroblades, Carth shook his head.

"No, keep your blasters. There's no telling what these Mandalorians might pull."

"Say it a little louder, Republic," a smaller merc challenged.

"Peace, Kex," their leader said, head pivoted in his direction. "Mandalore does not want weapons brought into his camp. These are his orders. Either you obey, or you can go back to your ship and forget you ever heard about a Book of Life."

"We'll comply," Carth said speedily, trying to mask the urgency in his voice. He directed the others to lay down their weapons. "But only because we have to."

"That's the way we play things here," the hollow voice said. Then, with his shoulder turned and his back facing them, he added, "Come. I will take you to Mandalore."

They made the short excursion through the forest into a clearing. At the top of the hill stood a durasteel fortification, around which soldiers stood watch. Their guide brought them through the gate into a large, open enclosure, where several men were practicing for a fight. Catch noticed that they seemed very fit; the constant exercise and strain on their muscles had forced their hard bodies into pure fighting form. They were like machines.

They walked straight past them up a plank into the small headquarters that served as Mandalore's office. Once inside, Carth took a good look around. A large screen decorated one wall, with a difficult-looking set of controls beneath it giving a readout of the perimeter. A steady routine of beeps sounded, which indicated that all systems were scanning for life-forms. It looked to be clear, for now.

"Where's Mandalore?" Carth asked as the man walked up a short flight of steps to the control panel and turned around. He eased the helmet off his head.

"I am Mandalore."

Immediately, the mercs surrounding Carth dug their spears into his knees, forcing him to kneel. He felt a cold grip on his neck, forcing his head down.

"Bow before Mandalore, Republic," the young one taunted.

"Kex," Mandalore said testily, removing his gloves in turn before laying them on the control panel, "I won't have my guests abused."

"So you're Mandalore, eh?" Carth said through gritted teeth, the hand clamping down on his already bruised shoulder, making him wince with pain. "Why the need for such deception?"

"You are lucky to have seen my face at all and lived to tell of it," Mandalore barked, his back turned towards Carth.

"I believe you have something of mine," the soldier persisted despite the intimidating snarls the mercs threw him. Behind him, the others were similarly forced to kneeling positions before Mandalore, who strutted around the control panel checking to see if everything was in working order. Once his circuit was completed, the battle scarred man turned and walked down the steps to come face to face with Carth.

"Get one thing straight, Republic, you have no claim on the book. At least not yet, anyway."

"That'll change," Carth replied. Mandalore cackled in response.

"You talk very freely. I like you. You speak your mind."

He nodded to the two men to unleash Carth, which they did promptly. Carth brushed off his uniform and got to his feet, spacing his feet at an equal distance apart from one another. He braced his weight on his one leg, his rib cage turned inward to support his sagging shoulders. He was sporting a good many bruises that hurt like hell.

"I can use someone like you around here," Mandalore said.

"Tempting as your offer is, I think I'll pass," Carth said sourly.

"Your choice. Now let's talk about this book of mine," Mandalore said, seating himself at the only chair in the room. It creaked when he put his weight on it, as though it would give way under him.

"It's a powerful artifact," Carth was explaining, "If the Sith get hold of it—"

"The consequences would be devastating, yes, I know," Mandalore said dismissively, "Tell me something I don't already know."

Carth's hand slipped into his pocket, his fist closing around the crystal's base. He contemplated pulling it out and presenting it to Mandalore, but that could have even more disastrous consequences than the Sith resurrecting some of their old masters.

"I don't know anymore than that."

"Don't lie to me," Mandalore hissed, his eyes dull and relaxed as Carth came into his view. "There's obviously more at stake here than just the fate of the galaxy. Some…material gain for you, Republic?"

"Money does not interest me, Mandalore."

Mandalore went to attend an errant console, switching it off as he spoke. The weapons systems, as displayed on the screen, were fully equipped. Carth feared he'd make good use of that superior firepower if they didn't give him exactly what he wanted. Being used for target practice wasn't exactly what he had in mind when landing on Dxun. He'd hoped to find the Mandalorians more…accommodating.

The doors burst open, interrupting his thoughts. He saw some of Mandalore's mercs scatter out of the way of the dark figure, who walked briskly toward the platform of his master before bending his knee in a low, humble bow. At his side was a familiar woman with cropped, dark hair.

Carth's hand strayed immediately to the place where his blaster would have been had he not relinquished it to his captors. All the movement alerted the shadow to Carth's presence. As he turned, Canderous's eyes narrowed and his hands balled into fists. He strode up toward the shorter man till he was face to face with him and took him roughly by the throat, pushing him back against a bulkhead. Canderous's grip tightened around Carth's throat as he flattened his body up against the wall.

"Canderous, no!" Mandalore uttered, his voice muffled by the helmet. Canderous released Carth almost immediately, his hand still yearning to close around his throat and cut off his air supply.

"Shall I kill you and throw you to a pack of kinrath?" he grunted. Rayne tapped his shoulder, but his attention was fully focused on the man that stood before him.

"What is it, babe?" Ordo barked.

"You heard Mandalore, leave him alone. Besides, he's got enough problems already with that old broad of his," Rayne whispered seductively before letting her teeth close about the base of his earlobe. With great resolve, Canderous pushed her off and said huskily,

"What are you trying to do, woman? Be the death of me?"

Rayne's fingers curled around his shoulder as she drew him into the curve of her body.

"Wouldn't you like that…"

Canderous directed his attention to Mandalore. Even Rayne seemed to stiffen a little at the sight of their leader.

"I didn't send for you," the older man said, his eyes closed as though he was meditating. "As you can see I'm busy, so I suggest you go. Resume your training sequence with Bralor."

"Busy with Republic here?" Canderous growled, eyeing Carth up and down. "Can't it wait?"

"We'll discuss this later," Mandalore informed him. "Go to your training."

"Fine."

He and Rayne exited the small vestibule, but not before he gripped the soft, round arch of her buttocks in his one hand. As they left, Mandalore said penitently,

"Forgive, Canderous. He's been groomed for war, not for courtesy."

"Yes, we've had the misfortune to meet before," Carth commented.

"I see. Well, now, I believe we're here for a trade. It seems the book has fallen into my hands. But the question is what are _you_ going to give _me_?"

"Aid," Carth replied, "You said you wanted us to help you rebuild your clans again…"

"That I did," Mandalore acknowledged, "But not in the way in which you were thinking. You have something very valuable to me, and I want it in exchange for these two items of yours."

Carth would have paced if he could have, but the mercs were keeping a close watch on him.

"The Zabrak," Mandalore said, beckoning his fingers, "Bring him to me."

Instantly, Kevan moved forward in response to the call, but Mandalore halted him with a head bob.

"The other one," he said.

Bao-Dur moved forward tentatively, stepping up the platform until he was in front of Mandalore. The human male scrutinized him from every angle as though committing every aspect of his appearance to memory.

"Yes, it was you," he said decisively.

"I'm not sure I understand," Carth said, scratching his head. "You want _Bao-Dur_ in exchange for our book and the captive?"

"He shall stand trial here for the many war crimes he committed," Mandalore explained. "He has a great many lives to answer for."

"No, forget it. I'm not giving up one of my men."

"Then you can forget about your book," Mandalore said, pocketing the rare artifact. Indy made a sound close to a whimper at the base of her throat as she saw her dreams slipping slowly out of her grasp, forever shelved. She looked pleadingly at Carth.

"Give him what he wants. It's one Zabrak for the fate of the galaxy."

"I'm not going to hand him over that easily if they intend to kill him," Carth explained to her, though this answer didn't convince her that it wasn't entirely worth it to just give Bao-Dur up to the Mandalorians.

"Oh, I have no intention of killing him. I plan on utilizing his skill with machines to drive the Mandalorians to victory," the man said, a cruel grin lighting his half-besotted features.

"I will do no such thing," Bao-Dur said, his voice light and tremulous despite the anger that welled inside of him. "You Mandalorians slaughtered my people. I would die before I gave you the secrets of my shield technology."

"That can be arranged," Mandalore said. He turned almost instantly to Carth. "So what will your choice be? You either walk out of here minus a Zabrak or loaded with a book. Your choice."

Carth looked sadly at the others, who were pleading with him to do what the chieftain asked. Kevan, however, had a completely opposite stance. He tried to barter with Carth for the life of his tech, but Carth would have none of it. Indy had a point. They would have to hand the Zabrak over and make this sacrifice for a book that could potentially destroy millions. On the other hand, Igrayne would have his head if they returned without him. That was a danger he was willing to face.

"Fine. You win. You take the Zabrak and you give us what you want," Carth said, fully intent upon organizing some kind of a rescue party as soon as they quitted the place. Mandalore snapped his fingers, bringing two more mercs like dogs to his bidding. They went and fetched the book and Bao-Dur was handed over to Mandalore in binders, his expression unreadable as he watched their short-lived joy at having received the item they were looking for. Carth narrowed his eyes dangerously at Mandalore.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Admiral," Mandalore growled, "We shall have to do this again sometime."

"Not anytime soon," Carth muttered fiercely, angry that he had been cheated out of an important asset.

"Kex will show you the way out," Mandalore said, seating himself in his chair with one leg swung over the side in a reclining position. The younger Mandalorian barked a command at them to get moving, which they did. They trekked through the open training field, past the leering forms of Canderous and Rayne, who looked about ready to pounce on them at any given second.

Once safely outside the walls of the enclosure, one of Mandalore's most trusted guides took them down the long forested path back in the vicinity of Merc's ship. It was growing dark and the sky clouded as though with promise of rain.

They quickly ducked onto the ship, Carth heading for the medbay where he knew Mical would still be, watching over Rani. When he entered, the doctor paused what he was doing to salute him.

"Admiral."

"No time for that, doctor. How fast do you think we can get this ship around?"

"Admiral?"

"I need to bring her closer to the Mandalorian camp if we're going to orchestrate an escape. They've got Bao-Dur."

Igrayne, who had been passing by with a bundle of medical blankets, blanched when she overheard the harried voices talking. She nearly dropped the bundle, which would have betrayed her hiding spot.

Could it be? Was Bao-Dur really a captive of the Mandalorians? That must have been the price that Carth said he would pay, when he said that he'd go to any lengths to acquire the book. Drastic times required drastic measures. And this was one such drastic measure. She just hoped they had it in their power to reverse it. For all their sakes.

And for Bao-Dur.

She put down the bundle and sought out a quiet spot on the floor, opening her mind to meditation. She sought out a connection with the Force easily, her search proving successful. Her luck with trying to contact Bao-Dur, however, was not stellar. It was as if someone or something was blocking her off from the Force, maybe even Bao-Dur himself. The tech was probably unconcerned about his own troubles, but didn't want to worry her with his disappearance.

Or maybe something terribly, horribly wrong had happened to him for him not to respond to her immediately.

But no, surely she would have felt a disturbance in the Force...

"Igrayne, I need a hand up here," Mical called her, drawing her sharply from her reverie. She snapped almost immediately to attention, retrieving the fallen bundle before bustling in to help Mical administer another dosage of medical ointments and injections to Rani.

The sound coming from the main hold was close to a dull roar as almost everyone in the crew discussed ways to get Bao-Dur back from the Mandalorian camp. They were quickly silenced however, as Indy came bounding into the hold, looking very upset.

"Those frackin' bastards! This isn't even the Book of Life! They lied!" Indy said, angry tears flooding her eyes.

"What! Slow down, Indy… How do you know this?" Carth asked, getting upset that he had possibly given up a member of his crew for a fake book.

"This is some sort of ancient book, but I started reading it, and it is not the Book of Life. In order to get the Book of Life, a person needs to go to a certain place of power that is indicated in the Book of Death. The Book of Death has a passage in it, in the language of the Sith, that kills the speaker and transports them to the Valley of Death. There, the Book of Life can be found. I should have known that the Mandalorians would not have been able to retrieve it."

Carth looked just as upset about the situation as the rest of the crew.

"Okay, and the crystal, what importance does it hold?"

Indy took in a deep breath. "It opens the Book of Death. Without it, the Sith cannot attempt to retrieve the Book of Life for themselves."

"Well, at least we still have the crystal," Carth said, relieved that they had that much.

"Yes, the Book of Life is safe, I think, until they have the crystal for themselves," Indy replied.

"Okay, do you know a safe place we can keep the crystal on the ship while we are still on Dxun?"

Merc answered, "Yes, there are several hidden compartments on the ship."

At Carth's nod, she took the crystal with an audible sigh and went to hide it.

"Our current objective," Carth began, "is to get Bao-Dur back with us from the Mandalorian camp. We saw it, and know that their manpower outweighs ours, so we'll have to depend on stealth. We'll send a group of three first to take out their monitoring systems so that the rest of us can get Bao, and hopefully not be detected. Kevan found enough stealth units on the ship for ten people. I would prefer the three I send first to take out the detection systems to be able to use the Force, so that they can further hide their presence."

Igrayne strode into the center of the room. "I'll go."

"You're not even a Jedi anymore," Bastila said.

"She has a firm grasp on the Force," Carina spoke up, defending her friend, "as do I. I'm going, too."

"Well, if you two are going, then you'll need someone to make sure that nothing goes wrong," Bastila said, turning to face Igrayne. "I'm going with the both of you."

Carth looked at each woman carefully. "Are you all sure that you can do this and work together?"

Igrayne answered, "We have to, for Bao's sake."

Igrayne didn't like the idea of fighting for leadership over their little group with Bastila, but she knew that the woman was a powerful Jedi who would be able to assist them.

Merc reappeared in the room, dusting off her hands.

"Mercedes, can you get us to that small beach I showed you on the map?" Carth asked.

"It'll be some tough maneuvering, the strip is a bit small for a ship this size, but I can do it," Merc said with confidence.

As Igrayne, Carina, and Bastila prepared themselves for their coming task, Evy, Atton, Indy, Han, Kevan, and Carth discussed the possible places that Bao could be held and made tactical plans.

Soon, the ship was landed on the small beach near the Mandalorian base. Carth was surprised to find that the immediate area was not being monitored in any way. He was relieved to find this, but also nervously wondered why it was not being watched.

Igrayne, Carina, and Bastila set off and were on their way. They had a comm link and when they had knocked out the security of the base, they would be giving the all clear to the next team, Carth and Han.

They would have Bao out in no time.

When they got nearer they all switched on their stealth generators and proceeded to creep towards the base. Soon they found a gap in the crumbling wall, and they managed to get through without being detected.

All three headed for the main security center, which they had seen when they were led through the base just hours before. When they arrived, the only guard seemed to be a young Mandalorian rookie without a helmet on.

He seemed to be in a blissful sleep, and occasionally they could hear him mutter a name softly in his sleep, which was accompanied by a slight smile.

They all set out to disable the different systems and soon they came upon the main power grid. They all glanced at each other and Igrayne and Carina grinned devilishly, this was exactly what they needed.

Igrayne picked up the comm and whispered urgently into it, "We've disabled the security systems, and we're soon cutting their power. Get on the move."

Carth gave his affirmative and all three of the team sent ahead started switching wires and making one huge tangle of wires that didn't connect in the right place, soon they head the familiar sound of things powering down.

As swiftly as they had come, they headed back to the ship, using the same path they had come in. They didn't know if they passed the second team, since they all were wearing stealth generators. Soon they were back in the ship, awaiting the other team's arrival.

--------------

Carth and Han walked in a single file pattern, making sure to avoid the Mandalorians running about, some aware of the power shortage, some just wandering. They quickly located the Zabrak that was their goal for this mission. The bad point with the quick location of him was that he was being guarded, and the guards seemed quite awake.

They whispered quietly among themselves, and soon they had formulated a plan. Han would go and set fire to a vehicle that was nearby while Carth would get Bao when the guards ran to extinguish the fire. They would equip the Zabrak with a stealth generator so they could get out undetected.

Han set off and soon arrived. As he was tinkering with the vehicle's engine, Carth was standing still, trying not to make a sound. The next thing that happened was that a loud clink could be heard. They both stiffened, and Carth glanced down at his holstered blaster. It had banged against the wall. A guard went to check out the source of the sound. They both froze, hoping that the fire would start soon.

A loud bang was heard and soon the guards ran out. Carth figured Han had set off back to the ship, just as their plan had detailed. He grabbed Bao quickly and equipped the stealth field generator on him. He urgently whispered that he should stay quiet, and the Zabrak, who was usually quiet anyway, did just that.

Han, who was only a bit in front of them, was being reckless when it came to sneaking. He was trying to get out of there as soon as possible, not minding his step at all. He ended up tripping and pushing up against a Mandalorian. It was far from a crowd, so Han's presence wasn't alerted to anyone but the Mandalorian he had crashed into. The stealth field generator stopped working as soon as the Mandalorian scored his first hit to Han's face.

After receiving and delivering several blows, Han finally managed to get the better of the Mandalorian by kicking him in the crotch. The Mandalorian crumpled and Han drew his blaster, firing off a shot that swiftly killed the Mandalorian. For the sake of their mission, Han dragged the body into the forest so it could be eaten by the beasts. It would be careless to leave further evidence of their skirmish.

Soon he was back at the ship, and not surprisingly, Carth and Bao had arrived before him. As soon as he was on the ship, Indy had nearly tackled him, showering him with reprimands. He hugged her, and they shared a small kiss. Not many noticed it, since most of the crew had their attention directed elsewhere.

Once everyone was back on the ship, they were all trying to talk at the same time. Igrayne was relieved that Bao-Dur was back, but she did not approach him. As it was, Carth and Kevan were both speaking to him, and Igrayne had no intention of having a public reunion.

Merc rushed into the main hold from the control room, looking frenzied.

"We have a big problem," the pilot began immediately. "There are several Sith ships entering Dxun airspace."

"Do we have any time to get away?" Evy asked.

"Maybe, but I'm guessing they're already aware of our position. The Mandalorians probably contacted them," Merc replied in a very serious tone.

"Sithspit!" Indy cursed loudly.

Rani emerged from the medbay with Mical. He had one arm around her waist, helping her walk. She looked all right considering the circumstances. She was still weak, but her eyes shone with determination.

"It's Destrik," she said simply as everyone looked at her.

"If we're going to get caught anyway, why don't we use this to our advantage?" Han asked, his shrewd mind running.

"What are you suggesting, Han?" Carth asked.

"Destrik has never seen Merc, so when he comes to capture us, he won't notice her missing. She could hide in the ship. Then later, she could come and bust us out," Han answered, his bright eyes narrowed in thought.

"There's something you aren't telling us," Bastila said, watching Han carefully.

"Damn Jedi," Han muttered under his breath.

"I _heard_ that."

"Of course you did."

"You mean to give me a chance to get the Book of Death back, don't you?" Indy asked Han.

"The book is probably in the ship. If we get busted out, then we can search for it and get it back," Han said, his eyes trained on Indy.

"How do we know that Destrik will capture us? Maybe he'll just kill us," Carina said.

"He would have already if that was his intent," Rani answered.

"Rani is right," Igrayne spoke up, "there is something else he wants from us."

"Even if we do try to run now, we may all get killed," Evy added. "At least this way, we have a chance at survival."

"We should face him," Bao said, "it is inevitable that he will find us."

Carth did not like the idea of all of them falling into Sith hands, but he saw that there was little other choice.

"All right, if we are going to do this, then I do not want anyone taking any chances and trying to start a fight with the Sith," Carth said pointedly to Atton and Trentyn.

"Yes, we have been lucky so far that no one has been killed, I fear that we may not be so lucky in the future," Mical said. He had now let go of Rani, and she was standing with her own strength, but he was very close should she need him.

"Merc, go hide and take whatever weapons and supplies you will need. Keep the crystal safe, too. It is imperative that you aren't found," Carth told her.

She nodded in agreement, hurrying to follow orders.

"As for the rest of you, prepare yourselves. We will be stripped of weapons when the Sith capture us," Carth said, annoyed that they were forced into this situation.

"I suggest that everyone should take this time to prepare themselves mentally and control their emotions," Bastila advised.

The Force-sensitives scattered to meditate. Igrayne was anxious to speak with Bao-Dur, but she held back, knowing that it was best to allow him to center himself after all he'd been through.

Evy went to Atton's side to have a few words with him before she meditated. "Atton, I know that it will be hard not to attack Destrik, but you must control yourself," as she said this, she placed her hands on his shoulders, her neck craned up to stare into his eyes.

"I want my revenge," Atton replied, trying to avoid her gaze.

"I know, it is asking a lot, but for the sake of all of us, please Atton, don't do anything rash," Evy practically begged him.

He grunted in reply, unsure if he would be able to abide by her wishes.

"Please… for me… don't…" Evy's eyes were threatening tears.

Something about her manner touched Atton, and he leaned down to her face.

"Okay sweets, for you, I won't," he replied, kissing her softly.

Evy was glad that Bastila hadn't been there to witness their exchange. She then left Atton's side hesitantly to meditate.

As Carina attempted to meditate, visions of her father and brother accosted her mind. Through the Force, she could sense their proximity. The realization that she might see them again so soon frightened her, and she struggled to extinguish her fear.

Indy and Han spoke with Trentyn and Kevan. "Apparently, the book that the Mandalorians gave us isn't completely useless."

"What do you mean?" Tren questioned.

"That book contains maps to some of the tombs here on Dxun. I'm pretty sure I know which of them contains the sacred place where the ritual needs to take place in order to get to the Valley of Death and get the Book of Life!" Indy was so close to discovering the powerful Book, she could almost taste it.

--------------

In the medbay, Mical was giving Rani some last-minute injections and tonics to get her as strong as possible before their capture. Carth entered the room, waiting for Mical to finish.

"Do you mind if I have a word with Rani, alone?" he asked Mical.

"Yes, but she's not completely healed yet."

Carth nodded and Mical left to go center himself. Rani sat on her cot, her legs thrown over the side. Carth did not look at her while he sat in the chair right next to her cot. He cradled his head with both hands and stared at the floor. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you even trust me at all?"

Rani sat, her back oddly straight, and stared at Carth.

"How was I supposed to tell you that I was carrying the child of your enemy?"

"You think I would have blamed you for it?" Carth questioned, his eyes now locked on hers.

"Who would you blame?" Rani asked, her voice controlled.

"Myself," Carth replied. The guilt of allowing Rani to get hurt over and over again threatened to overwhelm him.

Rani suddenly stood up, energized by the tonics Mical had given her.

"No! Don't do this!" her voice was now full of anger, "don't act like you have this responsibility to protect me! You don't even care about me!"

Carth also raised his voice and jumped to his feet. "What are you talking about!"

"You think I don't know why you feel the need to protect me?"

Rani snorted in anger, and Carth stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"You protect me so that you can redeem yourself. You said so yourself—that I am like Morgana. You couldn't save her, and you didn't feel any better after getting your revenge on Saul, so now you think that you can rid yourself of guilt by protecting me!"

"That is what you think!" Carth roared back.

"I will not be your vehicle to redemption, Carth. I do not want anything from you. I don't want your sympathy, I don't want your protection, and I don't want your fake love!"

Bastila stepped into the room before Carth could respond.

"The Sith have landed. Destrik is almost here."


	31. Sith Encounter!

Mercedes was hidden in a secret compartment in the engine hold. It was a tight fit, but she didn't mind the forced proximity.

"Do you have the crystal?" Carth's voice permeated the darkness as he prepared to lock her down tight.

"No, I hid it somewhere else, so should the Sith sense it, they will not find us here."

"Good idea," he responded, impressed by her thought process.

"We should also guard our thoughts… the Sith approach."

Merc fell silent in their hiding compartment, and waited as Carth secured the area.

The entire crew gathered in the main hold. Carth was closest to the entrance, waiting for the arrival of the Sith. All stood quietly, their weapons down. They did not want to give the Sith any more reason to attack them than they already had.

The entire crew was nervous, but some of them were especially so. The creaking of the entrance hatch being breached caused Rani to tremble slightly. She was trying to be brave, but the thought of facing Destrik again so soon after the loss of their baby was almost too much to handle. Trentyn stood protectively in front of his sister, trying his hardest to prepare himself for the coming encounter. Atton was staring at Evy's face, trying to gather his strength to ignore his burning for revenge. Carina looked pale, as she grew more and more certain that her brother and father were somewhere amongst the Sith.

Dustil was the first to enter. Igrayne wondered to herself why his looks had changed so little. He did not look twisted by the dark side like Destrik appeared. The first person Dustil encountered was his father.

"You!" he shouted, looking like he was trying his hardest not to kill Carth on the spot.

More Sith soldiers filed in, crowding everyone in the hold.

"Master Dustil," one of the soldiers began, "should we take them in now?"

Dustil circled his father before speaking to the group.

"Leave all of your weapons on the ground. My soldiers will strip you of anything they find dangerous. I suggest that no one put up a fight. I have orders to kill should anyone create a problem."

"Dustil, pl—" Carth began.

"No, do not speak to me. If you talk to me again, I will cut your tongue out," Dustil had such an evil sneer on his face that no one doubted that he was telling the truth.

Each member of the group was put in Force cuffs, and Indy was silently grateful that Destrik had not come with the boarding party. If he had, she was not sure that Tren or Atton would have been able to control themselves.

Indy stiffened as one of the Sith soldiers patted her down. Each member was getting the same treatment by being frisked. Carth was forced to remove armor, Carina was stripped of her steath unit, and Bastila cringed as the lightsaber she had tried to hide was separated from her.

"And no Jedi tricks either," Dustil said glaring at Bastila.

The trip to one of the Sith ships was mostly uneventful, and each member of the crew was put into a separate Force cage in a fairly large prison hold.

After everyone was secured, Dustil gave his father a scathing look and then departed.

The room was quiet. A few Sith soldiers had been left in the hold with the prisoners.

"They aren't taking any chances, are they?" Atton asked the group while jerking his head toward the nearest guard.

"No, they aren't," Evy replied, getting even more nervous.

"Guard your minds," Bao-Dur ordered, "I can sense someone trying to invade our thoughts."

Everyone immediately tried their best to shield their minds. Indy had that funny expression on her face again, the one that made her look as if she were trying pop her brain out of her nose. Han joined in with her, and both had ridiculous expressions on their faces. Igrayne, Carina, Bastila, Mical, Bao-Dur, and even Evy all fell into meditation. Kevan and Carth both stared calmly at the wall, clearing their minds. Atton started counting.

"What are you doing, man? You're distracting me," Tren complained.

"That's the point… eighteen…twenty!" Atton said.

"What do you mean?" Tren replied, now intrigued. His method of trying to build a brick wall in his mind wasn't working.

"I play Pazaak in my mind, that way when someone tries to hear my thoughts all they hear is my game."

"That's freakin' genius man! Let's both play!" Tren said hoping that Atton would get the hint and help him keep his mind otherwise occupied.

Atton laughed, getting the hint, and they played a strange game of Pazaak without cards.

Rani sat in her tiny cage, unable to stand anymore. She didn't even try to control her thoughts since they were too occupied on other things for them to even graze on Merc or the crystal. She instead wallowed in her sorrow over the loss of her baby, and her argument with Carth.

Not too much later, Destrik entered the prison hold flanked by a couple of guards and followed by a brooding Dustil.

He walked by Rani's cage, which was the closest to the door, without so much as a look. It was almost if he couldn't bear to even look upon her. Instead, he walked straight to Bao-Dur's cage, staring at him through the energy field.

"You must be the little alien that started this whole mess," Destrik stated, his voice laden with degradation.

Bao said nothing in reply.

Destrik scoffed, "I have no use of you, but the Mandalorians are most interested in you. They contacted me as soon as they found you had escaped. Maybe I should thank you then, for the presents I now have," Destrik said while gesturing to the rest of the crew.

"Leave him alone," Igrayne said dangerously.

"Ah yes, the one of the fallen Jedi," Destrik purred, turning his attention towards Igrayne, "I must say, I assumed you were ugly after I heard you slept with aliens."

Igrayne's face turned red, but the others could not tell if this was due to shame or anger.

"What a waste of beauty," Destrik said scornfully, "do you indulge this one, too?" He pointed at Kevan as he said this.

Igrayne was biting her tongue so hard she thought she could taste blood. There was nothing more she wanted than to strangle Destrik, but she knew even one inappropriate word could mean disaster for the entire crew.

"Well, I think I could find a nice little place for you here among the Sith. If you are lucky, I may even be able to find a man who would touch an alien-loving schutta like yourself."

Destrik moved on, bored with Igrayne's lack of response.

"Ah, Trentyn," Destrik said once his eyes alighted on the man, "you of all people I had never imagined turning to the Republic."

"I am not a part of the Republic," Tren replied with a measured voice.

"Really? Well, in that case, I may be able to forgive your transgressions against the Sith as simply overzealous actions of a protective brother. You may yet have a high place amongst us."

Tren simply snorted in response, averting his head so that he didn't have to look at the one person he truly hated.

Destrik moved to the next cage, where Atton was staring at him with open hostility.

"So, Atton, I haven't had the chance to ask you yet, how is Skylaer?"

Atton snarled with anger, straining against his Force bonds, "how dare you even say her name."

"Ah, that's right, she's still dead, isn't she? Shame that you had to kill her," Destrik looked almost bored as he revealed this bit of information.

Evy stiffened in her cage. _Killed her?_

"It is because of you that she is dead," Atton said, his dark eyes growing even darker.

Destrik scoffed. "You strangled her, didn't you? Squeezed the life right out of her pretty little neck…" As Destrik said this, he positioned his hands in front of him as if he were gripping the neck of an invisible person in front of him.

"You frackin' bastard! I will kill you!"

"That's your solution to everything, isn't it, Atton? Skylaer helped me orchestrate my betrayal so that I could leave the Sith, and you killed her for it."

Evy was stunned, the pieces of the puzzle to Atton's past were beginning to fit together, and she did not like the picture it was showing.

"You both betrayed me, in more than just that way," Atton said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yes, she did visit my bed on more than one occasion, but you knew that already didn't you?" Destrik said with a distorted grin. "You never were good at handling competition."

If the Force cage had not been in between the two men, Evy had no doubt that Atton would have attacked Destrik by now.

Destrik signed, feigning regret. "You didn't have to kill her, you know. I never did love her. Once I got what I wanted from her, I was quite done with her."

Atton let out a beastly scream, unable to contain his anger anymore. Destrik responded by a long shock of Force lightning. Evy screamed at the sudden turn of events, drawing Destrik's attention and causing him to break his torture on Atton.

Atton was still conscious, but shaking visibly from the attack. He looked dazedly at Evy, as if trying to garner strength from a glimpse of her angelic face.

Destrik saw the exchange.

"No one will ever love you, Atton. You think she loves you?" Destrik now stood right outside Evy's cage.

Atton grumbled as if trying to say something, but he was too weak to get it out.

"She only seems to care because her dead Jedi lover is the spitting image of your disgusting face," Destrik said to Atton.

Evy held back words and tears, how did Destrik know so much about all of them? The prospect of his growing power was frightening, and Evy was overwhelmed by all that she had discovered.

Destrik moved on to Carina's cage.

"Don't even speak to me!" she yelled at him, angry at all the pain he was causing his friends.

Destrik let out an evil laugh. "I think I like you," he said, peering at her stubborn face. "I sense the dark side within you."

Carina let out an audible gasp, "I… I had one weak moment, after that I… I turned away."

"Listen to me, what you felt was only a glimpse of the power available to you in the dark side, you were the most powerful you have ever been in those great moments," Destrik's voice had a seductive edge now, and Carina was disturbed by how attractive his words were to her.

"No! Those were not great moments…"

"Phin and Adan seem to think that those were your most powerful moments. They said you were invincible."

Carina's emerald green eyes widened. "You know my father and my brother?"

"Oh yes, they came to me. They are now a part of my force, and they want you to join them."

"I will never join the Sith!" she yelled back, fighting her desire to see her remaining living family.

"Never say never. You are strong in the Force, but your Jedi training limits you. Come to me, and I will make you more powerful than you have ever dreamed."

"No…" Carina collapsed to the floor of her cage, fighting the urges whipping up inside her soul, "no! Leave me alone!"

"That is enough!" Mical cried from the cage next to Carina's.

"Ah, the prodigal Jedi doctor that has returned to do the biding of the foolish Council. I would have thought of you a lost cause, but you too have potential," Destrik stared at Mical appraisingly.

Mical did not answer; he did not care to give Destrik any more room to anger him.

"Even someone as noble as you, has their weaknesses," Destrik looked pointedly at Carina to indicate to Mical that he was full aware of the doctor's feelings for her.

Bastila shifted uncomfortably in her cage, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

"Bastila Shan, look who's back from the dead," Destrik said, grinning at her.

"Release us, or you will have the whole of the Jedi power against you," Bastila's voice was edgy.

"Aren't you the feisty one? I wish I would have the pleasure of breaking you, but Master Malak seems to have claimed that prize for himself.

Bastila blanched, but kept her firm posture.

"I will not be broken," she replied, her jaw set.

Destrik chuckled, "that, my dear, is what they all say."

"What the hell do you want from us?" Han asked, his voice loud and clear.

"I wish to turn some of you. With others that are not useful, I will kill. And still yet another, your lover, I will use to do my bidding."

"You fr—" Han began.

"Han! No!" Indy yelled, not wanted to see him fried like Atton.

To her relief, Han shut his mouth, and ground his teeth to say quiet.

"What do you want with me?" Indy asked Destrik.

"I want you to get the Book of Life for me."

"I cannot do it."

"Yes you can."

"I do not have the crystal," she said.

"I do," Destrik smiled, pulling the accursed object from his pocket, "I found it on your little ship. It was quite easy to find actually, it's like it calls to me."

Indy frowned, "I don't know where the tomb is."

"Yes she does," a voice called as Rayne entered the room.

"Rayne, I thought I told you I'd get you when I need you," Destrik looked at her dangerously.

"Sorry, Master, but I thought you should know that she knows everything. She can get you the Book," Rayne stared at Indy, her green-brown eyes flashing.

"You bitch!" Indy yelled at her, frustrated that she would be forced to get the Book of Life for Destrik.

"Enough!" Destrik roared, "Rayne, leave! I will call you when I need you."

"Yes, Master," she said with an almost mocking bow before retreating.

"Let us go, Destrik," Carth called from his Force cage.

"Then your son would be most disappointed that he was not able to get revenge on you. I will not hurt him as you have," Destrik replied.

"Let the rest of them go then," Carth said.

"You are not in a position to negotiate, admiral. Besides, you angered the mother of my child, and I will not tolerate that."

Rani felt bile rise in her throat. How dare he?

"I am no longer the mother of your child, Destrik, because you killed my baby!" Rani yelled at Destrik, unable to control her anger.

"No, darling," he said, his voice gritty, "you killed our child. I did not know at the time, and you were foolish to attack me. You put our child in danger, so you shoulder the blame."

Destrik words were so convincing and she was so overcome with emotional pain that Rani believed him, and her guilt caused her to begin to cry.

Destrik quickly deactivated her Force cage and removed her restraints, and he picked her up almost gently.

"Don't worry darling, I will give you another child. Come with me."

Rani felt as if she were going to vomit, "no! Leave me here!"

Destrik grabbed Rani forcefully by her shoulders and shook her.

"You freely walk beside the Admiral like his little prize!"

"I am no one's prize," she answered sobbing.

"There you are wrong, darling. You are mine."

With that, he left, taking Rani with him and leaving the bewildered crew still captured in the prison hold of his ship.

--------------

Merc finally left her hiding spot and stretched her cramped limbs. She didn't sense anyone at all, but somehow she sensed they had taken the crystal. She ran to the place were she had stowed it, and sure enough, the crystal was gone. Merc cursed loudly. They were probably on Destrik's ship…so that was where she was going to go. Her resolve strengthened by the need to find the crystal, she snuck off toward the other ship.

She made it undetected most of the way, but before she could make it into the clearing where the Sith ships were landed, she was knocked off of her feet by a Force wave. As she struggled to recover, she saw Dustil standing over her.

"Master will be most pleased," he said to his accompanying soldiers as they restrained her.

She was led to the same prison hold as the rest of the crew and also put into a Force cage.

"I'm sorry," Merc said, upset that she had been caught.

Carth sighed. "It's all right, you were sorely outnumbered."

Merc nodded but was sorely disappointed.

------------

Destrik first took Rani to the medbay, where she was again treated for the injury her body sustained from his blow and the miscarriage. She was surprised how much better her body felt, but her mind was still clouded with anguish.

Dustil approached Destrik and reported how they had caught Merc. Rani's heart fell as she heard the news.

After she was treated, Destrik took her to his private quarters. The apartments were lavish, and Rani tried not to be impressed by the luxury before her.

Destrik approached her, and she backed up nervously.

"Don't do that," he said irately.

"Why? Every time I see you again, you hurt me." Rani was surprised at her own courage.

"I won't force myself on you again, Rani," Destrik said, sounding almost like his old self.

"But you said that you would give me another child…"

"Yes, but I will wait until you come to me."

Rani looked incredulous.

"You have shown me that you are more than just your pretty face." Destrik almost looked vulnerable. "You have shown me you have strength and determination. Being a Sith Lord can be lonely work, and I want you by my side."

"What are you saying, Destrik?" Rani asked, surprisingly no longer afraid of him. It was like he dropped his mask.

"I want you to be my wife. I want you to choose that, so I will not force anything on you."

"Then let them go…"

"You know I can't do that," Destrik said, anger flashing in his eyes. "I need that book."

"Then after Indy gets you the Book of Life, let them all go, every last one of them." Rani knew she was treading dangerous waters.

"Dustil wants to enact revenge on his father," Destrik stated.

"You are Dustil's master." Rani was struggling to keep her cool. "If you release them all and none of them are killed or injured, then…" Rani tried not to cry as she formulated her final words. "Then…I will stay with you."

-------------

The prison hold was clouded with silence and consternation as Destrik's flagship sped onward toward its destination. Destrik had Dustil plot a trajectory for Dxun after making contact with Mandalore about returning the Zabrak to their war camp. After the arrangements had been made for a proper handover, Dustil patrolled the bridge, doling out orders to the underlings who were left with the unsavory duty of piloting the ship.

Elsewhere, in the prison hold, the forced isolation was beginning to wear down each of the captives. Though separated by just meters, the distance was maddening.

Carth put his head in his hands as though he'd just taken a blaster bolt to the head.

"I was such a fool," he uttered, his voice awash with guilt, "I shouldn't have let her out of my sight. Now Destrik has her, and I—I can't do anything to protect her."

"Rani's the least of our worries," Indy growled, burning her hands with the energy restraints when she tried to get a hold on the force cage. "Now Destrik has the book and the crystal, and we're on our way to a full-blown Sith revolution."

A sudden sound startled Indy, during which time she paused to catch her breath. Her attention was directed toward the door through which two figures stomped. Her force cage was deactivated and she felt two hands come around her neck in a chokehold. She couldn't move, but she felt herself being carried away.

"Tell him nothing!" Han called out as Indy was helplessly dragged off by two of Destrik's thugs in Sith gear. The door slid shut with a crack.

"Great," Carth said, "now Destrik will try and get her to tell him the whereabouts of the book."

"Look, Indy knows what she's doing," Merc explained. "She'll get us out of this...with the book and everything!"

"She'd better," Carth said.

"She will," Merc said nervously, trying to convince herself of that fact.

While the others were engaged in conversation, Evy slid her body over to the side of her force cage to get Atton's attention. She made a small whistle to get his attention.

"So...who's Skylaer?" she asked.

"None of your damn business," Atton growled in a guttural tone of voice, his eyes blazing red with fury. Evy could see how easy it would be for him to simply fall back into his old Sith routine—the lies, the hatred, the anger, the passion—all bundled up into one big firecracker waiting to explode. Which was exactly what Atton was about to do.

"Look, I'm not asking you to explain yourself to me, I'm only asking what happened," Evy replied reassuringly. Perhaps it was the gentle tone of voice in which the statement was delivered, or the imploring look in her eyes, but Atton yielded to her persistence.

"Just some woman...a Jedi," he spat, trying to retain a tough front. Evy could see behind the steely exterior he projected. She knew better.

"Tell me."

Atton shrugged, growing more comfortable with the direction of her questions and her inquiring nature.

"She woke me up inside. She...she gave her life for mine. She sought me out."

His one hand patted his hair into place as his eyes fixed upon a spot in the corner of the room.

"She was lying, of course, or I think she was. It doesn't matter, she told enough truth to get my attention. She said that I had the Force inside me...that's why I was so good at killing Jedi and that when the Sith learned of it, there would be no escape, no turning back...I would become an instrument of the dark side...forever."

His eyes glistened with unshed tears. For a moment, Evy was sorely tempted to reach through the bars and kiss away his pain.

"I didn't believe her or want to believe her. So I did what I did with all Jedi. I hurt her. I hurt her a lot. And then, right when I thought she couldn't take anymore, she showed me the Force in my head. And I felt everything she felt, and I heard just an echo of what the Force was, and how what I was doing...I think I loved her, but it wasn't that kind of love. It was the kind of love where you're willing to give up everything for someone you don't even know. I killed her for crawling in my head for showing me that. But before she opened her mind to mine, my only thought was that I would love to kill her..."

A shiver ran involuntarily down Evy's spine. Atton continued, heedless of the reaction he was invoking in her.

"And at the end, I killed her because I loved her. She sacrificed herself to keep my secret, to prevent the Sith from knowing about that touch of the Force inside me. She wasted her life to save me...me...and I felt her die when she opened her mind.

Atton hung his head, shaking it in a downtrodden manner. He could sense Evy's disapproval—or what he thought was disapproval—but he continued anyway. She had to know. He had to tell her everything now, while they still had the chance.

"I've killed Jedi like I've said, but I was never there to feel it, to be on the receiving end. And after that, I couldn't stop feeling things. Before—guilt, lust, impatience—it had been orchestrated to get close. Now it all just kept tumbling it out, and I couldn't keep doing what I was doing. So I left. I fled with the displaced war veterans to Iridonia and I lost myself there until the war came to the end. I wanted no more of Jedi, or dark Jedi, or the Force. I just wanted to be left alone."

"And then," Atton said in an uncharacteristically shy voice, his eyes drifting up to meet hers through the glowing green energy restraint. His voice was trembling as he continued, "I met you on Iridonia, and I thought maybe, maybe she had saved me so that I could help you. And if I can't, then I have to try."

She was the only one to whom he'd ever fully opened up, the one to whom he felt most comfortable divulging even his darkest secrets. He had never spoken of the Jedi Skylaer to anyone, apart from Destrik. She'd truly affected him.

"I didn't want to tell you any of this but I had to, because if something happens, I can't let you think I was doing it for something other than the past..."

Evy nodded decisively, her eyelids half-closed as though meditating everything Atton had just revealed to her.

"I understand, Atton."

"You understand?" he echoed, his brows knotted in a deep "v" of confusion.

"Everything you just said," Evy replied.

Atton reciprocated her smile with one of his own, and she could see the tension visibly fizzle out of his body, leaving his sagging shoulders relaxed and his body sallow. He didn't need to say anything for them to understand one another. Just being here with her was enough. He finally felt free enough to let go of Skylaer's ghost, which had haunted him for these long years past.

The moment had scarcely been shared before Dustil burst through the door, causing Carth to stand and move toward the activator switch on his force cage.

"You," he said to Igrayne, pointing a finger. His eyes turned briefly to Carth. "No, not you father."

He stopped in front of Igrayne's force cage, hands planted on his hips.

"Master Destrik has plans for you."

Carth backed away, but still stayed in an alert stance. The sensation of Dustil's hand settling on her arm made Igrayne's skin crawl. His eyes fixed firmly on her, seeking hers. He braced one hand on his knee as he bent over.

"And what about Indy? Did you kill her?" Igrayne inquired testily.

"Not yet. Master Destrik believes she is the key to finding the Book of Life."

"Master Destrik is mistaken," Igrayne said.

"We'll soon find out. Guards, undo the safety restraints."

One of Dustil's troopers went to deactivate Igrayne's force cage. Igrayne felt herself being manhandled as she was pulled from the room. She last looked back at Bao-Dur, whose eyes were firmly planted on her as she was being dragged away. Did he even care what surely unpleasant fate she was going to meet with?

She was shoved onto the bridge of the ship, where she saw Indy. Destrik came and walked in front of them, his hands clutched behind his back very calmly. He smiled in greeting when he saw Indy.

"How good of you to join me. I was beginning to grow lonely without your everlasting string of insults."

"I've got plenty more where those came from," Indy offered. Destrik wasn't impressed by her off-the-cuff tone of voice.

"No. Perhaps you had better save them for when I finally decide to dispose of you, however soon that may be..."

His eyes turned briefly to Igrayne, whose heart was racing away at a mile a minute.

"And you," he said in greeting, "I may have a position for you, since I'm told you're good with your mouth..."

A fierce sparkle glittered in his eye. Igrayne blushed and looked away. She didn't know whom Destrik's sources were, but he had made sure to embarrass her about Bao-Dur at every chance he got.

"I've decided to reward my apprentice with a gift for his loyalty," Destrik said, his eyes flitting over to Dustil, who stood at attention in the room's corner. Igrayne balked at the idea.

"I'm not going to whore myself out to anyone, least of all a Sith!"

Destrik backhanded her fiercely, causing her to clutch her burning cheek. She thought she tasted blood in the back of her throat.

"Speak when spoken to, schutta. You should be proud to be with a Sith. It far exceeds whatever thrill a Zabrak may hold for you."

Igrayne looked away, her eyes focusing in on Dustil. The boy looked confused but excited at the prospect of having a new plaything. Igrayne felt disturbed. If he was anything like Destrik—and she was sure he was—he would be more than a handful. She couldn't figure out how she was going to get herself out of this mess.

Destrik's hand clamped down on her shoulder. His mouth lingered tantalizingly close to her ear as he whispered, "If sleeping with aliens is preferable to the honor of being a Sith consort, perhaps Dustil can change your mind."

Dustil extended his hand to her, and Destrik nodded decisively.

"Come with me, my lady," Dustil said, his voice unusually soft as he beckoned to Igrayne. Igrayne could easily see how the Onasi charm ran in the family. Rather than costing her friends their lives, she relented to the idea and accepted Dustil's hand as he led her away to his private quarters onboard the ship.

Indy felt very sorry for her friend as Igrayne was led away by Dustil. She shuddered at her thoughts of what Dustil might subject her to. Before she could spend too much time sympathizing with Igrayne, Destrik's sharp voice caught her attention.

"You are to be put in isolation for the night."

"You can't kill me with loneliness, I'm used to working alone," Indy replied sharply.

Destrik let out an evil laugh before speaking. "You better watch that tongue of yours Rheya. It has worked out the best for me that you are no longer Trentyn's little bitch. I have no need for your current loser boyfriend, and I will not hesitate to hurt him to encourage you to do your job."

Indy's heart sunk. She hated the fact that she was being forced to get the Book of Life for the Sith, but she would not risk losing Han.

She merely nodded forlornly at Destrik to communicate that she understood.

"Good," he responded, as his face broke out into a twisted smile. "You are going to be locked in a separate hold with a few guards. Inside the hold, you will find the crystal, the Book of Death, and the map book that the Mandalorians gave you. You have until morning to figure out exactly how to get the Book of Life. At daybreak, you will get the book for me."

Indy allowed the guards to lead her to her prison for the night, and before he locked the door, Destrik gave her a final warning.

"I will be here in the morning with others to accompany you to the sacred tomb. Don't try anything with the Book of Death. I have eyes and ears everywhere in this ship, and the second you cast some ancient spell on my men, your lover dies."

Indy sighed and walked to the only pieces of furniture in the room, a chair and a desk. She looked around only to find herself heavily guarded. She had no weapons, no chances, and no hope. She was going to have to do the bidding of the Sith one last time. Indy picked up the crystal, opened the Book of Death, and began studying the ritual that she would need to do to get to the Valley of Death.

--------------

Back in the main prison hold, the rest of the crew waited nervously. Bao-Dur still had the same stricken look on his face as he did when Igrayne was taken from the room. Carth was surprised to see the unusual show of emotion on the Zabrak's part, and he felt bad for him. He knew how he felt when Rani had disappeared—empty inside.

Han and Atton were having some sort of stupid argument about how they should try to bust out. Evy tried to shut them both up by telling them that they couldn't escape as heavily guarded as they were, but both men ignored her and continued with the argument. She figured it was just Han's way of trying not to freak out about Indy being taken away. The budding relationship between the two had not escaped her notice, and she secretly hoped that her and Atton would not be separated. His nearness, even if there were boundaries between them, gave her hope.

Carth was now sitting in the center of his small Force cage, one hand supporting the weight of his head as he stared at the ground. He looked so distraught and guilt-ridden that Carina wondered if he was going to suffer some sort of breakdown. This scared her; Carth was never one to fall apart, even in the worst of circumstances.

------------

Igrayne followed Dustil into his luxurious quarters, her bound hands crossed in front of her. Dustil went to his well-stocked cache of drinks and began pouring her an insidious green mixture.

"Are my restraints really necessary?" she asked, giving it the proper amount of decorum to oblige him. Dustil smiled as she said this, placing her drink on a nearby table to walk tentatively over to her.

She took one good look at him. He couldn't be much older than her—if anything, he was younger by a good few years, but that didn't diminish the potency of his virility in any way.

"How can I be sure if I remove them you won't try and kill me?" Dustil asked. Igrayne adjusted her smile slightly to take on a more meaningful look.

"How am I to pleasure you without the use of my hands?" she asked softly.

Dustil raised an eyebrow in her direction as he advanced on her, the forgotten drink scooped up in his one hand.

"You seem very eager to do Master Destrik's bidding."

Igrayne shrugged lazily, all the seductiveness briefly forgotten.

"It's politic. You'll hurt my friends should I not comply. I'm merely trying to preserve their lives...and my own."

"I find your honesty refreshing. Please, have a seat. No guest of mine will stand all night."

He raised his hand to the chair at the center of the room, which was decked in an ornate red drapery. Igrayne seated herself uncertainly, her eyes scanning the room to produce signs of any foul play. When it looked like there were none, she relaxed more comfortably into her chair. Dustil carried the drink over to her and sat down.

"This was an unexpected surprise, one which honored me," Dustil said with smugness. He looked incredibly pleased with himself at his new conquest.

Lost in her thoughts, Igrayne's face reflected her turmoil. To distract her, Dustil lifted the drink up to her lips, but she turned her face away with digust.

"Drink," he commanded. She said nothing.

"I said _drink_," he added, a little more forcefully. Still, she wasn't having any of it. She kept her mouth firmly locked in a position on her shoulder so he couldn't force the contents down her throat. This persuasive technique of his that he was using to get her into bed wasn't working.

Dustil crushed the glass in his fist, growing tired of the pursuit.

"What if I decline? What are my options?" Igrayne asked, though she could already see them rapidly dwindling.

Dustil finished the contents of his glass and calmly poured himself some more Juma. She could see a definite smile of satisfaction on his lips, as if he knew he would be getting exactly what he wanted tonight. And she knew it, too.

"The simple option is for me to kill you," Dustil said, leaning back in his chair with a sour expression, "But that doesn't leave me much fun."

"Naturally," Igrayne agreed.

"Which is why I'm hoping you'll come to me freely. If you do not, then you'll be merely a slave, not a partner. I do not wish a slave. I've had them before. You are my consort and should act as befits one," Dustil said, his hand covering hers. For all his eighteen years, he seemed more of a man than his father. Carth had always retained his boyish charm, while Dustil operated upon maturity and tenacity.

"I'll indulge you," Igrayne said, realizing she had no other option.

"Like you did the Zabrak?" Dustil inquired with amusement. She could tell he thought all this was very funny, so she said snappishly,

"Leave him out of this."

Dustil leaned forward, his angelic face growing more menacing with proximity.

"Did you touch him with those hands of yours? That mouth? I'm not so sure I want those hands on me now."

He linked his forefinger with her thumb, inspecting every inch of her palm.

"All the better for me," Igrayne said.

"But I won't refuse a gift from Master Destrik. It's insulting."

Dustil leaned forward, deactivating her restraints. Igrayne chafed the red, angry blisters that dotted her wrists. They hurt beyond words, but Dustil merely caught up her hands in his and began kissing her fingertips. Igrayne was disgusted by his forced courtship, so she chose not to respond.

Dustil paused almost immediately when he noticed her lack of interest.

"Are you always like this with the Zabrak?"

"No, my lord."

_He makes me feel alive. You leave me cold,_ she'd wanted to say, but decided that it would be imprudent in this particular case.

"Then why are you like this for me?" he asked, grabbing her behind the head to draw her in for a kiss. His lips were cold and clammy, and she was unresponsive. No amount of coercion could get her to enjoy what she knew was coming.

Dustil was the first to break the kiss. As he pulled back, she could see a storm raging in his eyes. Igrayne couldn't speak. She didn't want to be involved with a Sith, nor had she ever pictured even entertaining the possibility. The Force had a funny way of working things out so they were not entirely to her liking, however.

Dustil tried a different approach. He rubbed her arms up and down, letting his movements slow and stall until they were a fraction of what they once were—hard, forcible—and became almost gentle and delicate. Igrayne closed her eyes, letting the sensation pass over. When he touched her, an almost electrical current passed through her. Was it the Sith in him?

"Stop that," she said, refusing herself from feeling pleasure. She wanted to be the one administering it, so she didn't feel guilty about the sensations Dustil had unwittingly sparked inside of her. Distancing herself from him was easier when she was in charge.

"Don't you like it?" he whispered, his hand creeping down through the folds of her tunic toward her chest. She shouldered him hard and turned around, pinning him to the couch.

"I am yours," she whispered, her lips landing on his mouth, "Tell me what you want me to do."

Their lips met, colder than before. As she sunk into the kiss, a thought came unbidden into her head. She felt as though Bao-Dur were on the other end of the kiss; suddenly, her body began heating up. She wound her hand around Dustil's head, and, dismayed to have not found horns there, ran it through the coarse hair instead.

"That is better," Dustil whispered, stroking her cheek as they pulled apart. "Now, help me with these."

He presented his feet to her, indicating that she was to unlace his Sith boots. Igrayne got down on the floor, unlacing the shoes one by one. She could feel Dustil's hand tangling in her hair. She wondered if he had even kissed a woman or held one in his arms prior to this. Though he'd claimed he had, he was tentative when responding to her touch, and even--shy?

Igrayne placed her hands on Dustil's knees once she had pulled off each of the boots. Her eyes fixed on his as she said,

"What next, my lord?"

He pulled her to a sitting position on his lap and reached for the drink he had earlier poured. He lifted it to her lips and said,

"Drink."

This time, she didn't disobey him. She took a dainty sip off the top then licked her lips sensuously with her tongue.

"Now, that's better," Dustil said, setting the glass aside. After surveying her for some time more, he said, "I'm told you're skilled at the pleasuring arts."

_Now why does everybody assume that?_ she wondered, feeling angry at her own misrepresentation. Regardless of this, it would serve her purposes to keep up appearances. Let him think that if he wanted. It would only facilitate their escape in the long run.

"Did I displease you, my lord?" Igrayne suddenly asked as though worried.

"No. I was merely trying to find out your other _hidden talents_," Dustil said wickedly. His finger traced over her lips, committing every curve to memory. "That pretty mouth, I'm sure it will give me great pleasure."

Igrayne wasn't concerned with the thought of their impending consummation. She wondered what was happening this minute to Indy, or if they were even nearing the proximity of Dxun. She hoped, for everyone's sake, they weren't. Hopefully Indy could buy them a little time by stalling the pilot.

Igrayne walked up and poured their drinks brimming full again. As she handed Dustil back his Juma, he showed all his teeth in a grin.

"I'm not drinking this," he said, putting the glass aside.

"Why not?"

"You think I'm stupid? You could have poisoned it."

"Stupid, no. Paranoid, yes," Igrayne said testily. Dustil was far too cautious for her to get the drop on him anytime soon. She had been completely stripped of her weapons, so she had nothing but her own two hands at her disposal.

"Paranoid is what's kept me alive this long," Dustil said, "It's not all happy feelings in the Sith. It's a dog-eat-dog galaxy out there. Every man for himself."

"How can you live like that?" Igrayne asked. "Don't you ever wonder what life would have been like with your father?"

Dustil's eyes narrowed, and she realized that was the wrong thing to say.

"Don't ever mention that old fool to me again. He's as dead to me as my mother."

Her eyes complacently held the floor.

"Yes, my lord."

"Come, sit beside me."

She moved to the couch with reservation. The way he was looking at her made her realize what she had to do. She slowly began peeling off her formfitting white shirt to reveal a somewhat toned top. Dustil's eyes settled on her breasts.

"Do you mind?" Igrayne asked, feeling suddenly shy. If she was going to do this to prevent an incursion from happening aboard the ship, she had to make him believe it.

Dustil turned his eyes away at her bidding, as Igrayne slipped out of the rest of her clothes and resumed her stance upon the couch. She felt oddly relieved that the hard part was over with. Then, Dustil turned to look at her and she blushed crimson.

"You said you wanted me to be obedient," Igrayne said flatly, "So this is me being obedient."

"I suppose this is the part where you whine with me and beg me not to hurt your friends," Dustil said with a sneer, figuring there was some other catch to this situation.

"Do you hear me begging?" Igrayne asked, moving seductively to her knees on the floor.

"No, but I _hope_ to," Dustil said maliciously, the joke not lost on Igrayne. She began tugging at his Sith uniform, trying to remove various articles of clothing, when an alarm sounded and a Sith trooper walked in unannounced.

Igrayne grabbed for a nearby blanket to cover herself, so her nakedness wasn't exposed to the guard. Dustil stood up with anger.

"What is it?"

"Master Destrik forgives the intrusion, but he must speak with you about the Book of Life. We are nearing the proximity of Dxun, preparing for a land."

"Tell the Master I'll be along shortly."

"Very well, sir," the trooper said, before clomping out of the door through which he had entered. Dustil turned back to Igrayne, his hand tangling in her hair before stroking her chin.

"We'll continue this later, my lady. Now, get up off your knees. I don't want Master Destrik to see you like this."

Igrayne did as she was commanded, sliding into the overlarge bed to wait for his return. Dustil dressed quickly and ran through the door, putting the locking mechanism on before exiting.

Igrayne sank hopelessly back into the bed, drifting off to sleep while awaiting his unwelcome return, hoping that it would be Bao-Dur coming through that door and not the Sith...


	32. Carina's Fall from Grace

As Carina continued to worry about the admiral's emotional condition, Mical's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"There is something bothering you," he said.

"Well, Carth's not taking Rani's absence too well."

"No, he's not, but he will be okay. The admiral is a strong man. There is something else that occupies your thoughts," he said.

Carina turned her attention to Mical, the man she loved but couldn't have, and smiled.

"You know me too well."

"Not as well as I'd like to," he replied, smiling kindly back at her.

Carina couldn't help but blush slightly. Even such a small gesture of affection stirred up feelings inside of her that she couldn't ignore.

"My brother and father are alive, and I… I want to see them again, but I don't know if I can face them."

"You have much fear inside of you."

Carina nodded, now that Mical was back with the Jedi, he sounded more like them than ever.

"I want to see them so that I may have a second chance at turning them, doing it right this time. But what if I can't do it? What if they turn me instead?"

She couldn't help the words as they tumbled out of her mouth, and she was glad that she had said it quietly so that only Mical heard her.

"You are stronger than that," he replied back in a confident tone.

"Am I? They are my only remaining family. I went through torture when I thought they were dead. What do I have to hold me back from the dark side?"

"You have me," he offered, his bright blue eyes conflicted.

Carina let out a soft, bitter laugh, "I don't have you, Mical, the Jedi do."

"What we have between us cannot be diminished by that," he responded quickly.

"What we have between us, Mical, is a sorrowful past and a nonexistent future. I cannot allow myself to love you."

Before Mical could respond, a couple of Sith soldiers entered the hold. They marched right up to Carina's cage, releasing her. She rubbed her wrists that had gone raw from their contact with the restraints.

"What is going on?" she asked the soldiers.

"Come with us," one of them replied to her before roughly grabbing her arm and leading her out of the prison hold.

Carina was so nervous, her heart fluttered in her chest and her hands trembled slightly in the Sith guard's grasp. She would have felt loads better if she had her lightsaber equipped.

They led her to a door and roughly pushed her inside and closed and locked the door. The room was fairly large and the ceiling of the hold had skylights in it that revealed the setting sun of Dxun. Other then the pinkish light entering through these windows, there was no other light.

She walked further into the room hesitantly, anxious to see what awaited her. Her eyes soon met with those of another. They were the strangest color eyes she had ever seen. They were gold, with shocks of red running through them. At closer look, she saw that they also had delicate threads of emerald green in them, and she gasped as she realized who they belonged to…

Her brother, Adan…

His eyes used to be the mirror image of her own. Even when she thought she'd killed him, they still looked like hers. Now, they were twisted by association with the dark side.

"Pleased to see me, Carina?" he asked. His voice was slick and snakelike.

Carina swallowed heavily. "Adan?"

"Father is here, too," he continued, as another figure emerged from the shadows, "and we have been dying to see you."

---------------

During Destrik's absence, Rani had made full use of his apartment. She had eaten, showered, and dressed in the red dress that Destrik had left for her. For some reason, he had always loved her in that color.

Replenishing her body had helped Rani to clear her mind, and as frightened as she was about the prospect of marrying Destrik, she hoped he would take her deal. There was nothing she wanted more than the safety of her friends.

She was sitting in the most comfortable plush chair she had ever felt when Destrik strode into the room looking very satisfied with himself. She jumped to her feet when she saw him, looking anxious.

The movement attracted Destrik's attention.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he said irately.

"Sorry, I can't help it," she replied lamely.

He advanced on her, viewing her in her entirety, and she had to force herself to not back away from him.

"You look ravishing, beautiful."

Rani swallowed heavily and tried her hardest not to think about Carth. She didn't want Destrik to sense her thoughts, and the last thing she needed was Destrik being angrier with the admiral.

Rani allowed Destrik to cup her cheek with his hand. He stood there in silence waiting for her to say something.

"The path of the dark side is visible on your face," Rani said quietly.

Destrik paused and dropped his hand, sighing.

"Is that why you are repulsed by me?"

Rani shook her head. "No, I am frightened of you because of what you have become."

"And yet you face me and speak to me freely?"

Rani shrugged. "I fear you, but I refuse to be controlled by you, Destrik."

He laughed and fell back heavily on the luxuriant bed. "You have changed much… I like it."

"You have changed much, too, but I don't like it," Rani responded, emboldened by Destrik's amusement.

Destrik sat quickly up, and his eyes flashed with envy. "Are you thinking of that admiral again?"

Rani quickly regained control of her thoughts. Yes, she had been thinking of Carth. She frequently thought of him, and she knew she would have to hide her feelings better if she wanted to help the crew get out of this mess alive.

"The admiral has shown me a kindness that has been lacking from your manner lately," she said, hoping the statement wouldn't backfire. Destrik stared at her for a long time. Rani was very good at reading emotions, and she saw many flicker through his eyes.

"Is that what you want from me—kindness?" he finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, one of many things..."

"Then I shall work on that, being kind to you. But I am a Lord of the Sith, and I do bask in the dark side. Whatever kindness may be left in me will only be reserved for you, and even then I cannot promise much."

Rani nodded. This was more than she had expected, and enough for now.

"Have you thought about my offer?" Rani asked softly.

"Yes, I have thought about it."

"And?"

"I will make the decision after I have the Book of Life in my hands. Until then, the survival of your friends depends on how well they behave."

Rani sighed. She was worried about them. Would they be able to withstand whatever trials Destrik had in mind for them?

"Come," Destrik said to her, throwing a beaded pashmina over her shoulders to help hide her slinky dress.

"Where are we going?" Rani asked.

"We are about to land, and I must speak with Dustil. I want you by my side."

Rani allowed Destrik to hold her hand and lead her to the meeting hold.

---------------

Carina froze as she watched her father appear from the shadows. The same father that she had brutally killed before in a futile attempt to turn them back to the light side. She promised herself that this time things would go differently.

"Surprised to see us, Carina?" Phin asked mockingly as he strode forth to stand before Carina.

Phin, Carina's father, had always been an intimidating figure even when he had been a Jedi. He stood at around six feet tall and had broad shoulders which Adan, too, had inherited. But Adan was more boyish, and her father looked nothing like he once did. Dark spider-like veins crawled on his face, and his skin was pale as moonlight, giving him an almost transparent look.

"No," Carina said, trying to build up her mental wall.

"So the Jedi told you that we were alive then?"

Carina's gaze did not waver. "No, they did not. But I'm sure that they had their reasons—"

Adan burst into a cold, dreadful laughter. "Reasons? You still put that much faith into them, Carina?"

The use of her name brought back all the happier memories of her family and fueled her to try and turn them back to the light, though she doubted she would be able to save her beloved father.

"I have more faith in them than I do in the Sith," Carina snapped.

"Ah, fiery as ever, I see. I told you, Adan, she has our blood, all right," Phin said, grinning. "You are gifted with immense power, Carina. Power that you have, so far, overlooked. The Jedi have hidden it from you...would you like to know why?"

"I do not need to hear more Sith lies. I get enough from your master." Carina retorted.

Phin crooked an eyebrow inquisitively. "Master? We have no living master to speak of. If you speak of Master Destrik, then you are sorely mistaken."

Carina was confused by that statement. "Is he not the controller of the Sith?"

"Only in his mind." Phin took a seat in a nearby chair. "For you see, darling daughter, he is merely a puppet on strings. And we are the puppeteers. He knows this not...but we control everything he does. He looks to us for advice in his usual moments of weakness."

"It is a flaw not unusual for Sith. They are indecisive and irrational," Carina spat. "They are cowards."

"You speak of cowards, Carina, yet you yourself fled from the Jedi soon after facing us." Adan interrupted, stroking some stubble on his chin. "I wonder why that is?"

"That was my choice. I did not flee due to fear—"

"And now you lie about it as well. Dear Carina, you forget that we are Sith lords, and we know how you feel. We can relate. The Jedi practically shunned you after you failed to do their bidding. They sent you to your death on that mission, not expecting you to succeed, yet when you returned alive...they had to deal with that," Adan explained, although Carina couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"No, that—that isn't true," she said, trying to sound confident even though she wasn't.

"Isn't it?" Phin piped in again. "What truth do the Jedi hold for you still, daughter? They have put you into predicaments that have torn apart your heart and soul, they have made you suffer...do you not want revenge?"

Carina remained silent.

"The Jedi preach that peace is the way to victory, yet look at how the Republic has fared under their 'gentle guidance.' The Republic is a sinking ship, Carina, and you are too attached to it," Phin said, his voice taking on a hard edge.

"The Sith seek to only please themselves. They could care less about anyone or anything else." Carina shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, recalling all her Jedi training.

"Another pathetic Jedi lie," Adan spat. "The Sith seek to aid each other. We are family, Carina. That is why you still live...and in part, why your friends still live."

"Adan!" Phin hissed at him, and the younger man instantly grew silent.

"What about my friends?" Carina asked, feeling anger bubbling under her calm facade.

"Nothing more than puppets, dear daughter. I'm afraid they have all betrayed you already...though you didn't know it," Phin said, acting as if he pitied Carina.

"No, you are wrong! They would not betray me." _Mical would not betray me_, Carina thought vehemently.

"Wouldn't they? What are you to them, Carina? What are you really to them? Nothing but some extra baggage that happens to be able to heal people and wield a lightsaber. Handy skills, they might as well bring you along...but I would bet that they would leave you to die if it meant saving their own skins," Phin said, leaning back in his chair.

Carina shook her head. "They are loyal, I have saved them...and they would do the same for me."

"But you're not certain, are you?" Adan asked, taking some steps towards her.

The feeling around her intensified, only it was replaced with a cold feeling of dread and darkness due to her brother's dark aura. Adan had changed—grown darker—over the years. It made her want to weep for him.

"I will admit, I had my doubts. But I have seen how loyal they are."

"By saving the Zabrak? That is not loyalty, that is need. He was one of your other companions' plaything. Not to mention, he is your ship tech. Amazing Zabrak, to be honest. It won't be long before he, too, is turned. He has much anger and hatred bubbling under his surface."

Carina couldn't hide her stunned reaction. Her brother and father were shooting down every one of her arguments and with ease.

"You say you do not trust the Sith, sister, yet you allow two to walk among you," Adan clipped, smiling victoriously.

"Trentyn and Atton are not evil...Sith, they may be, but they have good in them as well."

"Because you've witnessed it? Or because you wish that it were true?" Phin queried.

"No one is ever beyond redemption," she murmured. "Not even you."

"So this is what it comes down to, Carina. You wish to turn us back to the Jedi whom have betrayed you and set you up numerous times. You wish to turn us back to the light, the same light that spawned your gutless and disloyal friends?" Phin said, clenching his hands together.

Carina swallowed, sensing a fight coming on. "Yes, that is what I wish."

Adan and Phin both erupted into a cruel laughter. "Father, I believe she means to do as she says."

"Oh, no doubt about it, Adan." Phin chuckled. "Carina, we do not want to come back to the light. It holds nothing for us—"

"It holds me!" she cried out, tears brimming in her eyes. "Why did you do it! You were my family...I loved you!"

Phin gaze turned cold and hard. "You loved the Jedi, Carina. You loved the power holding a lightsaber gave you. You enjoyed knowing that you were in control of your emotions. You loved the feeling of safety that came from us being Jedi as well."

"I—" Carina began.

"You never loved us." Phin snarled.

"I just wanted..."

"Ah, ah, ah. Jedi do not want, do they?" Adan taunted, fingering his lightsaber hilt.

"Why did you do it?" Carina breathed. "Why did you forsake it all?"

"Ridiculous question. Especially from you. Did you ever ask yourself why, Carina? Why we were sent on all those suicide missions...only to come home to 'well done, good job, but sorry, everything you've risked your life and limb for has changed,'" Phin said, stalking back and forth now, as if venting.

"It was the life we were chosen for—"

"Of course you'd say that," Adan spat at her. "Carina, the Council's loyal hound. Defender of the so-called Republic."

"Why did you fall?" Carina asked, a pleading tone hidden within her voice. She was breaking, though she could not admit it to herself.

"We never fell, as you so quaintly put it. We gladly signed up with the Sith. They held truth and justice that the Jedi can never have or show," Phin answered.

Carina dropped her gaze to the floor. This was torture—arguing with them on a sore subject that she herself had doubts about.

She knew there had to be a way to bring them back. There had to be. She only wished she were strong enough to know what that was and to execute it.

She dropped to her knees. "I am an unarmed prisoner. If you wish me dead, then so be it...end it now."

She felt a hand grip her shoulder and yank her up.

"Stand up," Adan growled. "You are not a prisoner, you are a guest."

"Carina, dear daughter, I know you do not understand everything right now. But someday, if you allow us to, the veil of mist that the Jedi have placed in front of your vision will clear." He smiled kindly, but his eyes showed a different purpose. "And you will know all."

"No."

"No?"

"I will not fall. I will not join you. I would rather die first."

"Don't be ridiculous," Adan snapped.

"I have nothing to live for if what you say is true," Carina mumbled.

"You would have us if you joined the Sith."

"The Sith are evil," she quoted the Jedi.

"The Sith is a title; it's what we do that defines us, Carina. You should know that," Adan replied, almost sounding like his old self.

Tears spilled over Carina's cheeks. She couldn't decide upon a course of action. Their words were messing with her ideals and beliefs. They made sense...and yet, she wished they didn't.

"Join us, Carina," Phin said softly.

"I..." She couldn't manage to form a complete sentence or statement.

"You said it yourself, you have nothing to live for. Not even that pathetic puppy-dog doctor."

"Mical?" she breathed.

"You thought he was your friend?" Phin asked, feigning shock. "Carina, he is a spy from the Jedi to monitor your actions. He is there to spy on you to get information vital to the Republic...and if need be, he will seduce you for it."

"I don't believe you!" she cried out, pain echoing in her voice. "I can't."

"You don't because you do not want to see it," Adan commented.

"No, you lie!" she hissed, anger completely enveloping her speech.

"No one is to be trusted, Carina. Everything has changed. We are all you have left," Adan said, smiling sinisterly.

"You bastards!" Carina cried, and launched herself at her father in fury, trying desperately to kill him and silence the lies.

Phin easily held her back while Adan grabbed her and restrained her. Carina sobbed and struggled to be released. Phin stroked her hair in a fatherly manner. "I only seek to protect you, dear daughter."

"You seek to profit yourself," she spat.

"So much anger. Do you not wish to let it loose on something...or someone?" Adan asked.

"I wish to kill you like the mangy kinrath you are."

Phin smiled. "Good start. How do you feel?"

Carina couldn't deny it. She felt better, more powerful.

"You feel it, don't you? It calls to you even now. What chance do you think you have with the Jedi? They will find you. They will take what little life and control you have left and you will beg for death before the end. You will be but a puppet," Phin said.

Carina nodded, in complete agreement now. "If I join you, what of my friends?"

"You have no friends. They have betrayed you."

"What will happen to them?" she yelled fiercely at him.

"They will be released in due time, as soon as Destrik believes he has gotten what he desires. Though it may be more than he bargained for," Phin said, and Adan grinned knowingly.

Adan released her and she slapped him hard. "If you ever restrain me again, I will not hesitate to kill you for it."

"That's my girl," Phin said proudly.

Carina merely frowned. She'd been betrayed by the only people she'd ever truly thought cared for her, and now the only thing left that held an ounce of truth was the dark side, the Sith. That fact pained her greatly, but she had nothing else left. She wanted revenge…but on what? It wasn't clear to her, but she'd punish the galaxy, starting with the Jedi.

And every Jedi was now her mortal enemy. Starting with Bastila and ending with Mical.

-------------

Dustil was standing at attention alone in the meeting hold when Destrik and Rani arrived. Dustil saluted, but he had an irritated look on his face.

"At ease, Dustil," Destrik ordered.

Dustil relaxed some, but still held a formal stance.

"So how are you enjoying your gift?" Destrik asked with a crooked smile.

"She is very pleasing to the eye, although I have not as of yet enjoyed her _other_ good qualities," Dustil answered, a shy smile on his face.

"Gift?" Rani asked, confused about what they were talking about.

"Yes darling," Destrik said, addressing Rani. "I reward my soldiers for their good work, and Dustil has pleased me, so I gave him your Zabrak-loving friend as a bedmate."

Shock registered on Rani's face. Destrik's change in manner towards her had led her to believe that he was changing his other ways as well. She was wrong.

"Igrayne is not a _thing_ to be gifted!" Rani cried with anguish.

Dustil raised an eyebrow, disapproving of Rani's tone with his master.

Destrik surprisingly did not get angry, instead he took Rani's face in his hands as he spoke softly to her.

"Rani, your _friend_ has subjected her body to the pleasure of Zabraks. I am doing her a favor by allowing her to be touched by a _real_ man."

Rani was infuriated, but knew that any more show of disobedience on her part would not be tolerated. Instead, she stood stoically beside Destrik as he discussed his plans with Dustil. She knew that she probably should be listening to the exchange, but she was so worried about her friends, that she only heard the last part of the conversation.

"…so you wish the archeologist's smuggler boyfriend to be there?" Dustil asked.

"Yes, it would be good to remind Rheya why she is retrieving the Book for us." Destrik answered.

"Anyone else that should be there?"

"Yes, beside you, myself, and Rani, I think that Phin and Adan have expressed interest in coming to the tomb also. You should leave your woman-pet in the prison hold at daybreak, and make sure that that only the men most loyal to me guard the prisoners in our absence."

"Yes, master," Dustil nodded.

Before Destrik could go on, a man strode into the meeting hold. It was obvious to Rani that he was thoroughly tainted by the dark side.

"Phin," Destrik called while walking to the man to meet him at the door.

"Destrik," the man replied with a tip of his head.

"All of our plans are in order. Rheya prepares herself as we speak, and I have no doubt that we will have the book in our hands tomorrow."

As both men continued their conversation, Rani turned her attention to Dustil who had stayed back with her. As she looked over his face, it was hard not to see similarities to Carth in his features.

"Dustil," Rani said to catch the young man's attention.

He turned his dark brown eyes to her, and she could see suspicion clearly in them.

"I will respect you because my master demands it so," he replied to her stiffly.

"I just wish to tell you that I am very sorry about your mother. From what I've heard of her, she was an amazing woman," Rani said this with the utmost sincerity.

At the mention of his mother, Dustil's eyes first softened, then flashed in anger.

"What do _you_ know of my mother?"

"Your father, he has spoken of her much, since her… since she…"

"_Died_," Dustil supplied for her. "She would still be here if it wasn't for him."

"Dustil, your father misses your mother terribly, if there had been anything he could have done to save her, he would have done it," the words came to Rani without fear, and she hoped that they would have an impact on the Carth's troubled son.

"Very familiar with my father, aren't you?" Dustil asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Rani realized that she would have to approach this from another angle if she wanted to make a good impact on Dustil.

"I believe that after someone dies, their spirit lives on. And our loved ones continue to watch over us, and they try to guide us. I believe that Morgana watches you now and wants to guide you down the right path. All you have to do Dustil, is listen for her."

Dustil's eyes clouded up, and Rani realized that much of his rage was a substitute for his sorrow over losing his mother.

"What do you know about these things?" Dustil asked, fighting his tears with anger.

"Mine and Tren's parents died when we were very young," Rani began, hoping that her association with Trentyn, one of Dustil's former trainers, would bring more impact to her words, "sometimes, even now, I can almost hear them, telling me how to make the right decision."

Dustil's eyes locked on hers, "do you think you are making the right decision, right now?"

Rani smiled, allowing empathy to show on her face, "I hope so."

Interrupting their conversation, another man walked into the hold, similar in looks to Phin. Much to Rani's surprise, Carina followed him in. She was not bound by the Force restraints anymore, and something about her manner was different to Rani.

Destrik walked over to Dustil and Rani and the others followed him.

"Phin, Adan, this is my fiancée, Rani," Destrik said, snaking an arm around her waist possessively.

Rani was surprised as both men took turns kissing her hand and murmuring pleasantries to her. Rani responded with faux graciousness. She had never imagined the Sith to be civil, and now they were being downright polite. Rani gazed expectantly at Carina, who was avoiding her gaze, hoping that someone would explain her presence.

"Destrik, I have good news, my sister has decided to join in our cause," Adan said.

"My daughter has made her old man proud," Phin added looking at Carina.

Rani's eyes shot to Carina's as Adan's words registered in her mind.

Rani's thoughts were running a parsec a minute. _But I thought her family was dead… Carina has turned to the dark side… my Force…_

"That is great news," Destrik replied to the other two men. "She will undoubtedly be a powerful addition to the Sith.

Destrik turned his attention to Rani. "And now, Darling, you have your friend here with you."

Carina viewed Rani as warily as Rani was viewing her. Both were in extremely suspicious circumstances, and neither knew what the other was thinking or planning.

"Will Carina be joining us to go to the tomb in the morning?"

"Yes," Carina answered Destrik, her eyes glittering.

"Well, I guess until then, we can get some rest?" Adan offered.

"Yes, that sounds like a great plan, we must celebrate the reunion with our loved ones soon," Destrik said, smiling.

"Oh we will, once the Book of Life is in my hands, we will," Phin replied.

Rani could sense tension between Destrik and Carina's father and brother. She also noticed that none of them addressed the other with "Master." Each of their manners was quite informal, and Rani wondered what the nature behind their relationships was.

Dustil cleared his throat softly, and Destrik turned to address him.

"You may go back to your quarters. I have no more need of you until morning. Enjoy your night with your gift," Destrik said smiling and dismissing Dustil.

Before Dustil left, he threw a look at Rani. She gave him the most pleading look she could muster. Rani wanted to run after him and stop him from whatever he had in mind for Igrayne, but she knew she couldn't do that. Instead, she hoped that her words with Dustil would have some impact on his behavior.

As Destrik continued to speak with Phin and Adan, Rani sidled up next to Carina.

"Is it true," she asked Carina softly, "have you turned to the dark side?"

"What about you?" Carina shot back at her. "You certainly don't look like you are being held prisoner. Not to mention, you are looking quite cozy with your fiancée."

Rani still trusted her friend. "I made a pact with Destrik, that I would stay with him if he released the entire crew."

Carina locked eyes with Rani, "but they are still being kept prisoner."

"Yes," Rani swallowed, trying to keep her voice down, "he said he wouldn't decide until after he got a hold of the Book of Life."

"How convenient… you actually believe him?" Carina asked, rolling her eyes.

"What else can I do?" Rani said, her voice laden with emotion.

Carina's eyes flickered with conflict.

"I am here, to enact revenge on the Jedi."

Rani gasped. "Surely you don't mean that."

"Oh, I do, I told you what they lead me to believe, that I killed my family. But now, I have them back, and I will play with the Jedi's emotions just as they played with mine."

"This isn't you talking, Carina."

"My path is clear, obviously yours isn't. I will not repeat what you have told me so far, but I advise that you keep such other dangerous information to yourself in the future. I will not keep your secrets," Carina told Rani, determination blazing in her eyes.

Rani sighed, dropping her head, she felt like her world was crumbling around her. _First Destrik is turned, now Carina. Who is next?_

Soon, Phin, Adan, and Carina departed, and Destrik led Rani back to his quarters.

"How are they affiliated with you? They are not your underlings?" Rani asked Destrik.

"Phin and Adan think themselves to be very clever. They believe that they manipulate me, but I have chosen not to reveal that I am aware of their erroneous beliefs. They are not my underlings, and I am not theirs. We are on equal ground for now. As long as their goals match with mine, I will not disturb the relationship. Master Malak has his need for all three of us, and none of us would dare anger him."

Rani nodded as she digested the information, "why do you settle for such a life? Is it not enough that you must fight the Republic, but you cannot trust those within your own organization?"

"That is why I need you, Rani," he said now that they were in the privacy of his quarters, "I need someone who cares about me, who isn't trying to kill me at any chance they get."

Rani's heart thudded in her chest, why did he have to sound so dmn vulnerable?

"I need you, Rani," he said almost pleadingly.

In the dimness of his room, and with the solemn expression on his face, Rani could almost see her old Destrik.

"Will you join me tonight, in bed?" he asked her softly, pulling her into his arms.

"Destrik, I am not healed all the way yet, I cannot..."

"Then at least be by my side," he said.

Rani nodded slowly, trying her hardest to stifle the memories of her and Carth, as she slid into bed next to Destrik and allowed him to hold her.

The night was a long one, Destrik's soft breathing tickled her ear, and now that he was asleep, Rani allowed herself to cry over her distance from Carth.

-------------

Carina and her brother and father walked along the corridor of the ship towards the main mess hall. Carina had to admit she was starving and could not remember the last time that she'd had a decent meal, but she felt very ill to her stomach due to recent events. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep anything down should the time arise where she could get a bite to eat.

They entered the hall and the surrounding Sith stood up as Phin and Adan walked past. She followed closely behind her brother, and he gave her a strange sense of safety. It reminded her of the better times—before war, before loss, before all the choices and pain that she'd had to go through.

She sat with her family at a table in the far corner of the Sith mess hall. Surprisingly, it felt almost casual there. The presence of the dark side was strong throughout the room, yet there was laughing and talking filling the room with lightheartedness.

Carina's gaze fell to the table, avoiding her curiosity and urge to look around and, through the Force, she took in her surroundings that way. It seemed remarkably easy to tap into the Force ever since she agreed to work with her father and brother, ever since she'd agreed to follow the path of the dark side, the Sith.

"Are you hungry?" Adan asked her, passing her a bowl of some sort of soup.

It smelled absolutely delicious, but she merely shook her head and pushed it away, repressing the urge to sigh. Her friends were being kept in restraints, not to mention the fact that they were being tortured at this very moment.

"They are fine, and they are not your friends. Your thoughts would best lie elsewhere while in the presence of Sith, daughter," Phin said, taking a bite out of some sort of artificial fruit.

"You were reading my mind?" Carina asked, eyes blazing with fire.

Phin shrugged. "I am your father, I may do as I please. I am looking out for you, Carina, as is your brother. It would be in your best interest to heed our advice."

"Stay out of my mind," she quipped.

"Fine...as you wish. I do not mean to offend you, and I can see you aren't in the most pleasant mood. You should, however, eat something," Phin said, authority slipping into his tone.

Carina remained silent.

"Carina." Phin's tone reminded her so much of being reprimanded by him as a small child for stealing a cookie out of a jar or being caught fighting with her sister. It brought tears to her eyes just thinking about how far they had all fallen from their once happy family. She brushed the tears away quickly, but not quickly enough to escape her family's notice.

"Hey, Carina, it's not as bad as you think it. The Sith aren't as evil as you'd think," Adan said, taking her hand in his own reassuringly. His hand was cold and didn't bring Carina the reassurance that she needed.

"Do not comfort her, Adan," Phin snapped, and Adan immediately released her hand. "The Sith do not need a weakling among their ranks."

Anger flared within Carina. "I am not weak, if that's what you're implying, father."

"And what if I was?"

Carina fingered the new Sith lightsaber that rested on her waist. It would be so easy to kill them both right now. She knew they wouldn't see it coming, and then she could easily free her friends. But then again, if they were right, the friends she thought were loyal to her were not in actuality her allies.

"You were right, father. She hasn't the guts to do it," Adan snickered, pushing some pieces of meat around on his plate.

Quicker than one could've seen or anticipated, Carina's crimson blade lay at Phin's neck, nearly singeing it. Phin sat, unmoving, with an amused smile displayed upon his lips.

"There's the Carina I know. Brash, fiery—the one who I know will never let me down," Phin said, playing on Carina's need to be loved. "See, Adan? Your sister always comes through."

"You were right," Adan said, nodding and grinning devilishly.

"What makes you think I won't kill you?" Carina growled, tightening her grip on her lightsaber.

"Because...then you would be all alone," Phin said, before adding, "and I would be sorely disappointed in you."

Carina's crimson blade shrunk back into the hilt and she returned to her seat, leaning back and crossing her arms. "I do not like to be manipulated."

"And that's what keeps you strong. Your will, your determination," Phin said, grinning triumphantly. "You and I are of the same blood, and whether you believe it or not, you joining us has made me very proud."

Carina's frown lessened but did not turn into a smile. "I want in on what you're planning to do."

"Planning?" Phin queried.

"With Destrik and the Book of Life," Carina said.

"Ah, I knew you were observant," Phin said, touching his chin in thought. An acute habit among the males of her family. "I cannot speak of it openly here, but it involves a disappearance of a certain Sith nuisance. He knows it not, but Master Malak is displeased with his current actions and wishes him...removed."

Carina grinned at the thought of making Destrik pay for all that he'd done. Her brother and father had been right—the Sith did exact justice better than the Jedi.

"Malak has appointed us the task of acquiring the Book of Life and then wiping a Sith smudge from the face of the galaxy," Adan added. "I see the glimmering in your eyes…you wish to help?"

"I wish to be the one to do it," Carina said vehemently.

Phin ran a hand through his gray hair. "I see. That would be quite an initiation into the Sith—slaying one of the powerful masters, which I have no doubt you could achieve easily by tapping into the dark side that lies dormant within you."

"It was not a request, father. I _will_ be the one to do it. Following him, I wish to slay the Jedi Bastila if at all possible." Carina demanded, her gaze no longer wavering and uncertain.

"May I ask why?"

"It's none of your business, but I'll indulge you as thanks for accepting me into the Sith." Carina's features softened. "For accepting me back as your daughter."

Phin nodded but remained silent.

"She was a spy for the Jedi, trying to recruit some of the Force-sensitives among the companions that I traveled with. I believe she may have succeeded with some, but she tried to recruit me once again." Carina made a hissing sound. "She deserves to die for being such a priss, not to mention the fact that she will be a great nuisance to us later on if released."

"She'd be invaluable if turned though, Carina—" Adan began.

"Keep your hormones in check, Adan. I see the lust in your eyes, and I know that all you want it her in your bed." Adan glared at her, but Carina continued. "She's too unstable to keep as a plaything anyway, Adan."

Phin chuckled at how crimson Adan was growing. It was easy to see the two were siblings, especially when they fell back into easy habits such as bickering.

"Yes, well, you wouldn't have hesitated to have that blonde doctor as yours, so I would not be talking, dear sister," Adan replied and received a hard slap to his cheek. Adan's hand flew to his saber, and within seconds both siblings stood across from each other, blades blazing, fire in their eyes. Phin stood suddenly.

"That is _enough_!" he yelled. "I will not have my two children bickering over such nonsense."

No one moved.

"Sit down," he ordered. "_Now_."

Both shot one last glare at each other before taking their respective seats. Carina avoided her brother's gaze and instead took the opportunity to memorize the layout of the room and hall that they were currently in.

"Adan, why don't you go with your sister to interrogate the Jedi Bastila? I, on the other hand, will begin the final preparations for when we attain the Book of Life," Phin said in a finishing kind of tone that dared anyone to argue with him.

Adan mumbled something inaudibly whereas Carina merely stood complacently, bowed, and left with her brother to interrogate Bastila for information.

-----------------------

"You should not try to anger him."

"I wasn't."

"I'm just saying—he isn't how you once knew him, Carina. He's changed, as I have. As you now have."

"If you are trying to frighten me, you can save your breath," Carina snapped at her brother as they walked down the long corridor towards Bastila's torture cell.

"Defiant as ever, huh, Carina? You just don't learn," he said, shaking his head and running a frustrated hand through his mussed, curly brown hair.

Carina remembered a time when her brother had been a lot more pleasing to the eyes, when his skin wasn't as pale and he didn't look sickly all the time. She could sense a little bit of goodness still lying within him, but knew it would be futile to address it with either him or her father.

"I learn from past mistakes," Carina said.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Damn it, Carina! What were you hinting at!" Adan demanded, stopping her.

"I didn't kill you once, so who knows if I'll hesitate to do so again? After all, I'm brash and fiery, aren't I?"

"Shut up, Carina," Adan snapped, walking purposefully ahead of her.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't care, Adan. You miss mom, too, and our sister. Do you remember her, or is she just a painful memory?" Carina asked, anger seeping into her voice.

Adan whipped around to face her. "Never bring them up. They are gone, killed by your hands. Their innocent blood rests in your own hands, Carina. I harbor no guilt at their death. I doubt you can say the same."

Carina looked away, suddenly ashamed about the past and her sudden outburst. She'd just wanted so badly to put her brother in his place. She had acted without thinking of the consequences and it had gotten her nowhere.

Carina extended her hand. "Adan, I am sorry. Can we just be brother and sister again without this continual argument forever going on between us?"

He looked uncertain but then grasped her hand and shook it. "This doesn't mean we're going to have to hug or anything, does it?"

"Force, no! I'd just as soon kiss a wookie," Carina said, making a gagging face jokingly.

"Very funny. Get a move on."

And with that, they entered Bastila's torture room. Bastila was restrained against a wall and she looked to be in pain already, but kept a gentle and calm facade. If it was even possible, she still seemed to have an arrogant smirk on her face. Carina wanted to smack that smirk off.

"Turn the field off," Adan ordered sharply to the guard.

"Yes, sir," the guard said, turning it off.

Bastila seemed to notice that they were there now. The astonished look showed how stunned she was to see Carina there as well, robed in Sith raiment. Already, Carina's deep emerald eyes had begun to grow hazy.

"I will tell you nothing, Sith," Bastila said calmly.

"Oh, I believe you will." Adan smirked, stroking the side of Bastila's face tantalizingly. Bastila turned her face away to avoid the cringe-inducing contact.

"You think too highly of yourself," she retorted.

"Oh, do I? Well, I'll have you know—"

"Adan," Carina said in a warning tone. "Get on with it."

"I was just having a little bit of fun, sister," he said, grinning lecherously. This was a completely different side to Adan, and one that Carina could do without witnessing.

"Sister?" Bastila asked, shocked. She sent a look to Carina, but Carina merely looked icily back at her.

"Ah yes, how rude of me to forget. Bastila Shan, meet my sister—although I'm certain you two have already met," Adan said, enjoying every ounce of astonishment he managed to get out of Bastila.

"No..." Bastila murmured. "The woman I met was not as...dark."

Carina sniffed. "As if you'd know how I was. You only sought to turn me into a pawn of the Jedi Council. Thankfully, my father and brother were here to save me before that happened."

"Save you? They are condemning you to a fate worse than death! Surely you see this?" Bastila said, authority in her tone even though she was the prisoner.

"You think me blind, Bastila? Well, perhaps you won't think so poorly of me after I cleanse the galaxy of the Jedi," Carina said, feeling empowered by the dark side.

Bastila shook her head. "I do not think it is too late for you, but I do think you have been thoroughly perverted by the lies of the Sith."

"You think too much," Carina said, turning on the torture field. Bastila screamed in agony as Carina turned up the amount of electricity shooting through her body.

Adan watched in amusement, smiling cheerfully. He patted his sister on the shoulder. "As entertaining as this is, I do not believe that Destrik would be pleased with his prisoner dying."

Carina turned the field off, but merely shrugged.

"Forgive my sister, she is new to this," Adan said, disregarding Carina. "If I had my way, you wouldn't have been screaming in pain just a little bit ago. Then again, the Jedi don't know much of pleasure, do they?"

Carina rolled her eyes. Adan was easily tempted by beautiful women; it had always been like that. She didn't doubt that it could have been a big reason for his sudden fall to the dark side.

"We know more of feelings than a Sith would ever know."

"You speak of the Jedi as a whole—or as in yourself?" Adan said, mulling the thought over. "Wait a second, don't answer. I like to pry the information from my victims rather than be told by them."

Before Bastila could stop him, Adan infiltrated her mind, and she struggled against her restraints. She looked to be in considerable pain, and Carina had to avert her eyes.

Once released, Bastila slumped against the wall and was supported only by her restraints. Adan merely laughed.

"Now that, Bastila, was quite interesting," Adan said, grinning from ear to ear. "Who would've thought that such a goodie two shoes Jedi such as yourself would desire such a dark Sith as Trentyn?"

Bastila merely groaned in pain.

Adan stroked her face lightly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "I could show you more than Trentyn could even begin to, dear Bastila."

Carina, unable to stand the scene any longer, turned on the torture field. Bastila quickly lost consciousness. Adan turned to her angrily.

"I was just getting warmed up!" he yelled at her.

"Calm down. She won't tell us anything of use. I know everything Destrik would want to know anyway," Carina said, clasping her hands in front of her.

Adan scoffed, turning to the Sith guard. "Have her taken to my room immediately. Make sure she is unarmed and has Force restraints on."

"Yes, sir."

"As for you...go busy yourself with something," Adan demanded, storming off as the guard dragged Bastila's body to her brother's room.

Carina sighed to herself, trying to think of something to do. That was when she thought of Igrayne being subjected to Dustil's will, not to mention poor Rani who was recovering from losing a child. It made her sick just thinking of it. Her sickness was short-lived, however. She decided that for mere curiosity's sake, she would go pay a visit to her dear friends Igrayne and Rani...if only to see them suffer.


	33. Escape to Dantooine

Rani lay in Destrik's bed, sniffling softy. She wondered why he hadn't awoken to her crying. He seemed to be in a deep, peaceful sleep, and it seemed to Rani that Destrik hadn't had a good night's sleep in months.

There was a knock so soft at the door to Destrik's quarters that Rani wasn't even sure if she had heard right. She had some difficulty slipping out of Destrik's possessive grasp on her, but she managed to get to the door without waking him.

She was surprised that Destrik hadn't put a lock on the inside to prevent her from getting out. It was almost as if he trusted her. The door swooshed open almost silently as Rani finally found the switch.

Carina stood on the other side of the threshold, her brown hair pulled back tightly from her face, giving her a severe appearance. She was also in dark Sith robes, and her once beautiful emerald green eyes were already changing. Rani almost didn't recognize her at first glance.

"Carina, what are you doing here?" Rani questioned, glad to see her friend, but also wary due to her change in appearance and manner.

"Can I speak with you?" she asked, her eyes almost pleading.

Rani would not turn away from her friend, even if it did cost her later. She smiled and nodded before grabbing a shawl to cover up her nightgown. She closed the door behind her, and the two women walked across the hall to the corner where they could talk. The hallways were empty at this time of night, so neither woman worried about company.

Once they were settled, Rani just stared at Carina, taking in all of the subtle changes in her looks. This frightened Rani, she felt like she was losing her best friend. Carina was the first to speak.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, not really too interested in the answer.

"My body is... mostly healed, " Rani answered, "but Force, Carina, what the hell is going on?"

"You tell me," Carina said, unwilling to share her feelings with Rani.

"I already told you why _I_ am here. I can be no use to the crew locked up beside them, but here, I can influence Destrik..."

"Do you mean to say that _you_ are trying to manipulate a Sith Lord?" Carina asked in a mocking voice.

"Not manipulate him... I'm giving him what he wants, and in exchange he will give me what I want."

"And that is?"

"Freedom... life... for our crewmates, our _friends_," Rani said emphatically, "or have you forgotten that you have friends?"

Carina scoffed. "You call those pathetic people friends?"

Rani stared at her openmouthed.

"Is the dark side that consuming that you cannot even recognize friend from foe?" Rani finally said.

"You are the one that can't see clearly, Rani!" Carina said, pushing the other woman slightly, "the only reason they ever kept me around was to use me!"

"You are wrong," Rani said, her voice low, "I care about you, you are my closest friend."

"If you cared about me so much, than you would understand that I should be here, with my family, where I belong," Carina said with emotion.

"What about Mical? He loves you…"

"And yet he returned to the Jedi as soon as they wanted him back. Like their little slave," Carina said, her eyes flashing, "I refuse to be a slave to anyone, not the Jedi and not to our crew of so-called friends."

"So, instead you will live a life here, with the Sith, doing their bidding?" Rani asked her hand clutched to her throat as if she couldn't breath.

"I will do as I choose, and I choose to be here, and I choose to rid the galaxy of the Jedi. They are deceitful and only serve themselves."

"No, you are confused, you are speaking of the Sith," Rani said, raising her voice.

"What do you know anyway?" Carina screeched, grabbed the other woman roughly and slamming her back against the wall.

Rani surprisingly did not have a hint of fear in her eyes. Carina hated this, she wanted to see Rani cry and beg for her life. She wanted to break the will of this woman.

_If I cannot even frighten this weak woman, how can I ever hope to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies?_ Carina thought, allowing the wash of dark power to run through her.

"I know this much: that you are not the woman I once knew. You are worse than even Destrik. You have broken my heart, you will break Mical's heart, and you will break the heart of each and every one of our friends. You forget that they are the ones who truly love you." Rani's voice was infuriatingly calm.

"My father and brother are the only people that love me," Carina replied stubbornly, still gripping Rani's arms.

"They mean to use you, Carina. You heard Destrik when we were in the prison hold, they lust after your power. You are stronger in the Force than they are, and they mean to use you to accomplish their goals."

"Like killing off your little fiancée?" Carina said.

Carina was happy to see Rani's expression change from her maddeningly peaceful one.

"They want you to kill, Destrik?" Rani managed to choke out.

"Yes, I'm going to kill him, and after that I will kill Bastila, and after that, every single Jedi I can find, I will kill them." Carina had a predatory glint in her eyes.

"You're insane!" Rani said, wrenching out of Carina's grip, "you are just going to kill everyone, is that it? You act like someone else tried to kill your family! You are the one that did it, Carina! YOU KILLED THEM! You fell to the dark side and killed your own family! You have no one to blame but yourself! You redeemed yourself, but now you've fallen again!"

As Rani yelled accusations at Carina, Carina felt guilt so strong that it constricted her ribcage, making it almost hard to breathe. This made her hate Rani, hate that enveloped her entire soul, until she ignited her new lightsaber. The red glow cast an evil light on Carina's features. Rani had never seen such unadulterated hate in someone before.

Rani's first instinct was to protect herself, but deep in her heart, she hoped that her friend was still inside of the furious woman in front of her. Instead, Rani stayed put, her stance straight, but her expression sad.

"Kill me then, Carina. I am your friend, and I love you. I would not lie to you."

Carina snarled; her anger was far too strong for her to hear reason. "Die, bitch."

She swung her lightsaber in an arc that would have beheaded Rani, if the other intense red lightsaber hadn't halted her swing. She turned her head, and her eyes met with those of Destrik.

"I hope you aren't trying to kill my lovely fiancé," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Some of Carina's anger subsided, but she was still furious.

Carina scoffed at Destrik. "She doesn't even love you, you know."

"Oh yeah, well, I'll change that," he said confidently.

Their lightsabers were still crossed and they were now circling around each other slowly. Rani had backed up against the wall, her eyes wide with fright, much to Carina's satisfaction.

"She loves Admiral Carth Onasi," Carina stated smugly, "and even if she does stay with you, and play the happy wife, she will never truly want or love _you_."

Destrik was the first to strike, forcing Carina's back to the wall. She fought back cautiously, she hadn't fought much in the past few years, and her skills were rusty. Destrik looked as if he would pull a killing move on Carina, but a cry from Rani broke his focus enough to give Carina time to block it.

"Destrik, no! Just stop!" Rani was almost sobbing, unsure of who to support in the skirmish.

Both continued to fight, ignoring Rani's anguished cries. It was a dangerous dance, but Destrik had the upper hand. Carina was tired, and conflicted, and she still wasn't sure of her powers yet.

Just when Carina thought she would give up, Phin showed up in the hall. After he saw what was going on, he immediately ignited his lightsaber and came to Carina's aid. Carina backed off and let Phin fight Destrik as she braced her hands on her knees panting. Rani ran over to her, and grabbed her shoulders.

"For Force's sake, Carina, stop them!"

Carina ignored her friend's pleas, but the fight and her exhaustion bled some of the fury out of her. She was no longer as sure of her desires as she was before.

"Why the hell are you trying to kill my daughter?" Phin grunted as the Destrik parried one of his swings.

"Ask her why she was about to slaughter Rani," Destrik shouted back, slicing his lightsaber through the air in his offensive attack.

Phin looked surprised for a second, and it gave Destrik a chance to disarm him.

Phin held his hands up in supplication as his lightsaber clattered across the floor.

"Easy, friend," Phin said soothingly, "we can settle this without bloodshed."

Rani was not fooled by Phin's sudden change of heart, but she ran between him and Destrik anyway to prevent Destrik from killing Carina's father.

"That's enough, Destrik," Rani said, wiping the tears off of her face, "it never should have gotten this out of hand."

Destrik backed away and inactivated his lightsaber, but kept it in his hand.

"It's late, and I'm tired, control your daughter before I find someone else to do it," Destrik said menacingly.

He grabbed Rani roughly by the arm to lead her back into his quarters. As she was lead away, Rani locked eyes with Carina.

A thought echoed in Rani's head, and she hoped that Carina would hear it through the Force. _I have hope for you yet; everyone can be redeemed…_

_---------------_

Dustil's return was unwelcome. Igrayne had just been making herself comfortable when all of a sudden, the Sith moodily stormed in through the door, ridding himself of his jacket on a nearby chair. He took one look at her and beckoned her over. Igrayne stood up and went to him like an obedient slave. If an automaton was what he wanted, well, he was going to get one. It might help her friends to be more…persuasive.

"Master Destrik said he wants me to enjoy my gift," he said, going forward to initiate a kiss. Igrayne turned her face so the kiss landed on her cheek instead.

"What?" he asked with irritation. "Still you resist me."

Igrayne stared forlornly at the far wall, her mind adrift in space.

"I am yours, Dustil, so I suggest you enjoy what time you have with me before Bao-Dur breaks out of his Force cage and comes for your head."

Dustil found amusement in her words as he tugged her to her feet, suddenly remembering the pleading look Rani had thrown him. He held Igrayne inches from his face, searching her dull brown eyes for any sign of interest or excitement. They held nothing but resignation.

"He'll die before that happens," he vowed, though his voice trembled slightly.

Dustil felt his resolve slipping. He could feel Rani's pain at the thought of one of her friends being subjected to his overtures. He'd considered himself quite a catch, an opinion that obviously wasn't shared by the rest of their captives. And least of all, Igrayne. She might have shown more interest in the couch, for all it mattered.

He released her from his grip, moving toward the bed. Igrayne started undressing, but he held a hand up.

"No. There is no need for that."

Dustil tugged off his pants and shirt and slipped into the bed in a set of spare undergarments. Igrayne peered at him quizzically.

"Sir?"

"I won't force you. Come here."

She moved tentatively forward, but Dustil's tone all at once changed to suit his mood.

"I won't touch you unless you want me to," he said, pulling back the covers for her to climb in. Igrayne felt a sense of newfound respect for the young man due to the kindness he had shown her, so, in order to show her appreciation, she climbed into bed beside and nestled against his chest. It wasn't pleasant being held by Dustil, but she suffered the caress for some time, knowing that her stint as his consort wouldn't last long.

She felt Dustil's soft kisses trail up and down her neck. She was shivering from the touch and the strength of her need for human contact. She realized then that Dustil had something Bao-Dur could never give her. The Zabrak was almost completely cold in his dealings with her, while Dustil's unmistakable mean streak ran rampant. At least he cared enough to display his feelings.

She couldn't believe the direction in which her thoughts tended. Had she really just thought that? Igrayne tried to shake it from her mind as she settled back to sleep, tucked into the curve of Dustil's body.

-------------------

Han reached his hand through the bars of his Force cage, twisting a piece of an old motivator into the activation pad. One by one, the bars powered down, leaving him free of his entrapment.

"Always knew it would come in handy," Han said, kissing the small thing for luck before quickly pocketing it.

"Well, stop boasting about it and get us out of here!" Tren exclaimed. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Han almost toyed with the idea of leaving him in there, just to see how he fared.

"Hey, kid, I was going to," Han said in annoyance, moving to each of the Force cages to deactivate them. Bao-Dur and Kevan crept up from their sitting positions to stand beside the scoundrel, chafing the red, angry burn marks dotting their wrists. Marks that had come of fruitlessly trying to escape a Force cage.

"We need to find Indy, first thing," Han announced, his voice crisp and clear. Tren snickered.

"Of course we do. Was there some other plan you had in mind? Rheya's being held captive by Destrik at the moment. The bridge is most likely under heavy guard by Sith sentry droids. Destrik's famous for using them. If we can eliminate the droids, there might be a possibility of freeing Rheya."

"Her name's _Indy_," Han corrected him.

"It wasn't when _I_ met her," Tren insisted.

"Stop arguing," Mical said petulantly, his tone enough to distract the two men from further bickering. His hands were laced together as he said, "We must find Carina. I fear she is in grave danger. I can feel the dark side in this place, like a wound in the Force. I fear it will encompass her, too, if we wait too long to free her."

"First things first," Han said, "We get Indy. Indy's crystal is the only thing keeping Destrik from raining down fury on the Jedi. Uh...not that I care what happens to Jedi or anything."

Evy rolled her eyes at this. She looked at Atton, but he was unresponsive. He merely had his cold eyes focused on a spot in the floor.

"Very well," Mical said with great reservation, "But as soon as you have finished your task, I shall go to find Carina. I fear it may already be too late for her...My only hope is that she is not beyond saving..."

Atton finally had enough.

"Spare us the poetic lament, doc. If Carina's joined up with them, then she's as good as dead. No...she deserves to die."

Mical made a sudden, unanticipated move toward Atton, his hand moving to unclasp his lightsaber from his utility belt. Evy jumped in front of them both, her arms outstretched.

"Not here. No fighting. Resolve it later, but for now, let's be peaceable about this. Carina's life may depend on it...and so may the others."

Kevan stepped suddenly forward to redirect the group's attention.

"I shall send Bao-Dur on an errand of my own...to find the General. If she is being held captive, like the others, she will need rescuing."

"Fine," Han said, shrugging, "I don't care anymore. The rest of you, come with me. We're going to find Indy."

-------------------

She woke him up with an abrupt kiss, her tongue tracing his chapped lips, pleading entry.

"Igrayne, what—?"

"Shh," she said, covering his mouth with hers. "I want you to touch me. I want to be yours."

She needed comfort, plain and simple, and Dustil was convenient. He obviously was willing to accept her invitation as he went forward to kiss her lips, touching and caressing each part of her body as if she were a goddess. Igrayne had almost never felt more alive...

He paused a brief moment to tug off her nightgown, slipping it easily over her head to reveal her nakedness underneath. She would have thought it would invoke feelings of modesty, but that wasn't the case. If she was destined to be Dustil's consort, she had to act the part in its entirety.

Dustil's hands moved from her shoulders downward, exploring her breasts. Igrayne sighed a little at his touch, his cold hands prickling her skin. A sudden flurry of movement behind the door alerted them to the fact someone was entering.

The door slid open and in walked Bao-Dur, equipped with his lightsaber. He paused when he saw Dustil in his state of half-dress holding Igrayne, who was completely naked. His mouth was agape with horror at what he witnessed, but through it all, he kept his cool. Igrayne half-wished he would throw something at her, if only to display to her that he had human emotions, too. She knew that wasn't possible for an alien.

"General," he said condescendingly, his voice a whisper of what it normally was. Dustil pushed Igrayne behind him with one arm, slipping out of the bed to activate his nearby lightsaber.

"I don't like being disturbed when I'm busy, _especially_ by an alien," Dustil exclaimed. "How did you escape your Force cage?"

"That is none of your concern," Bao said simply. While the men were otherwise engaged, Igrayne scrounged around for some clothes to pull on, to cover her nakedness. Bao-Dur's eyes, she noticed, never once left Dustil's face.

Dustil activated the switch on his lightsaber first.

"I had hoped to resolve this peacefully," Bao admitted, pushing the button on his own lightsaber to allow the blue blade to spring to life.

"She is my consort," Dustil stammered, "You can't take her from me. So, if that's why you've come, I suggest you turn around and leave."

"I can't do that," Bao stated simply.

Dustil's smile crept wider as he circled Bao, focusing his attention on harnessing strength from the Force. It seemed to be working; she could see the darkness take hold over him.

"She's done things for me she wouldn't dream of doing with you. She's introduced me to a variety of different pleasuring techniques," Dustil said, merely to provoke the Zabrak. If he was affected by it, he wasn't showing any sign of it. "I paid her a great honor by allowing her to sleep with a real man instead of a lowly alien. Finally, I found some other use for that lovely mouth of hers."

Bao-Dur lunged at him, poised for the attack. Dustil welcomed the chance to take a swipe at him, which he did with all expediency. Bao was knocked into a crouch, his mechanical arm extended as the lightsaber flew out of it and crashed into the nearby wall. Dustil went forward to scoop it up, hooking it on his own belt.

"How pitiful," he commented, a smirk on his visage.

Bao-Dur scurried out of the way, his movements blindingly fast. He backed up against the bed as Dustil advanced on him. Igrayne, who had been still until now, jumped from the bed in between Dustil and Bao.

"Stop," she pleaded.

"Out of my way, Igrayne. That is an order," Dustil commanded her. "I honor you as my consort, but my role as Sith lord outranks any honor I reserve for you."

Igrayne ignored his statement, tugging at the oversized shirt to keep it from falling off her shoulder. She had tears dancing in her eyes as she said,

"Please, Dustil, I'm begging you to leave him alone. I'd never ask anything of you if I thought it was an unreasonable request..."

Dustil scoffed at this.

"_Unreasonable_? The idea's damn well _preposterous_!"

"Please," she said, her voice softer than before. Dustil again remembered Rani's plea, how she had tearfully asked him to spare Igrayne whatever unpleasantness he had planned for her. He was beginning to cave, seeing now before him his consort and her former paramour reunited.

He rubbed his eyelids in little circles, one hand relaxed on his waist.

"Go."

Igrayne paused a moment, not understanding.

"I said go!" Dustil screamed. "Both of you! Before I change my mind!"

Igrayne moved closer to him to whisper, "Your father would be proud," before following Bao out the door. Dustil watched her leave, wondering what had just happened and why he'd allowed himself to succumb to a moment of weakness.

-------------------

Once outside Dustil's quarters, in the relative safety of the ship's corridors, Igrayne turned to Bao-Dur with a look of concern. The Zabrak was immobile, his expression clouded as usual. He seemed to be assessing the situation from the way his eyes flickered back and forth, taking in every inch of their surrounding.

"Where are we going?"

"To meet the others. Indy is in grave danger," the Zabrak explained.

Igrayne's hand landed on his broad shoulder, and she felt him tense.

"Don't turn from me. I didn't _do_ anything with him, if that's what you think."

"The state I found you in would suggest otherwise," the quiet voice said.

"Well, I..." Igrayne's voice trailed off, pitifully small. She was gradually losing the courage to explain her actions to Bao-Dur.

"We will discuss this later."

The ship lurched as though it had just taken a hit, nearly throwing them both off their feet. Once they regained their footing, they flew down the hall in order to avoid another run-in with Dustil, who would surely be wondering what the bump was.

-----------------

The ship took a lurch, and the crew halted momentarily.

"What in the hell was that?" Atton said, voicing everyone's concern.

"I don't know," Carth replied, "but we must get our weapons and get out of here!"

The rest of the crew must have agreed because they hurried to gather some of their belongings that the Sith had previously stripped them of. After the lockers in the room were thoroughly but quickly emptied, Han ordered the group once more.

"Let's go find Indy!" he called over his shoulder as he exited the hold.

"Wait!" Tren called, "I'm going to find my sister."

"And Bastila?" Atton questioned as he sensed his thoughts. Trentyn merely nodded as his hand unintentionally strayed to the two lightsabers strapped to his belt.

"Okay," Han conceded, "let's move out!"

Trentyn ran the opposite way of the rest of the group, guided subtly by the Force. Carth jogged after him to catch up.

"Trentyn!" Carth shouted to halt the younger man.

When Carth caught up to Tren, Tren gave him a mildly suspicious look.

"You shouldn't go alone," Carth said to answer Tren's silent question, "I'll help you find them."

Trentyn sighed. "Okay, I'll head down this hall; you go that way, if either of us hears any sounds of fighting, run like hell!"

Carth laughed momentarily as he realized that Tren was joking.

"Alright, be on guard," the Admiral said, slipping into the leadership role.

Trentyn nodded and began to head down one of the hallways, when he turned around.

"Thanks, Onasi," Tren said with a half-smile before heading out.

Once Trentyn was alone, he began to open up his senses to the Force. Although Tren was Force-sensitive, he rarely tapped into his powers. It had a lot to do with being a part of the Sith, who often drew heavily from the dark side. Tren, however, almost always felt uncomfortable using the power of the dark side of the Force. He had given in a few times, and sulked in his anger and bitterness, but he always pulled himself out of the wild and evil power that the dark side held. Sometimes, he attributed it to his conscience, which was surprisingly strong considering his personality, and sometimes he attributed his aversion to the dark side to his love for his sister. It was his devoted responsibility to Rani that kept him away from the darker paths despite his association with the Sith.

Tren walked down the hallway slowly, absorbing the impressions the Force was sending him. Soon, he picked up the jerky emotion of panicked anguish and a trilling shock of lust and power-hunger.

Trentyn immediately grew angry, assuming that the panic came from his sister and the lust from Destrik. He broke his openness to the Force, rushing to the nearest door. The door lead to someone's private quarters and was locked, so Tren ignited his lightsaber. The deep blue blade sunk into the metal of the door and soon the door was obeying his will and opening for him.

The sight that assaulted him was not what he had expected. Bastila lay on the bed, totally naked. She still had her hands bound, and she was kicking and squirming while fighting the lustful man trying to mount her. Tren had come just in time to prevent Bastila from being raped, and he didn't waste any time roughly wrenching the man off her.

As soon as Trentyn had thrown Adan to the floor, it became obvious to Tren that the man was fairly drunk. This did not calm Tren's fury though, and he punched Adan squarely in the jaw. The blow threw the other man into the wall.

"You frackin' bastard," Tren seethed as he left his lightsaber inactivated at his hip.

He wanted to beat Adan with his bare hands for even daring to touch Bastila. Trentyn had the upper hand, both men were about the same size, but Tren was in better health, and his reflexes weren't slowed by the effects of alcohol. In addition, Trentyn always fought well when he was angered. Something about his fury always had a way of focusing him, and it gave him a resolve that was dangerous for his opponents.

Adan never got one punch in as Tren landed quick and ferocious blows to his face and torso. Soon, Adan was knocked out cold, slumped against the wall. Only then, did Tren turn to face Bastila.

She was still cowering and undressed on Adan's bed. Her hair was pulled out of its usual arrangement, and locks of hair fell into her face and a bit over her eyes. But Tren could still see the fear in her blue eyes, the deep hurt that came with being powerless to another human being, and Tren could tell that Bastila had never experienced such raw fear before. He glanced at the floor and picked up a piece of Bastila's discarded clothing. It was too ripped and was now a useless rag, just like the remainder of Bastila's clothes. Tren kept his eyes peeled to Bastila's tearstained face, as he removed his shirt.

He gently put it over her to temporarily cover her nakedness as he removed the bonds around her wrists. Bastila rubbed her wrists softly and then allowed Tren to then dress her with his shirt. She was of smaller stature than him, so the shirt almost hung to her knees, giving her the appearance of wearing a short dress.

Tren had an overwhelming desire to comfort her, but wasn't sure how. She was still shaking from the assault. Instead, he tromped over to the still unconscious Adan and removed the other's man's belt. Tren then bent over Bastila to put the stolen belt on her, and then he hooked his extra lightsaber to it.

Now that she was dressed and armed, Bastila felt better. Tren stared at her before turning to Adan's slumped form. He ignited his lightsaber, and touched the blade to Adan's throat.

"No!" Bastila called out, realizing what Trentyn wanted to do.

Tren turned back to look at her, "why the hell not?! He deserves to die for what he wanted to do to you."

"He didn't succeed, and this is not the way we do things," she said softly, closing the distance between them.

Once Bastila's face was close to Tren's, she could see the anger in his eyes. She was touched by how he came to her defense.

"I just want to protect you," he said softly, their eyes locking in an intense gaze.

"You already have," she said, her voice matching his tenderness. She reached over and covered his hand with hers, slowly lowering his lightsaber.

Tren allowed her to guide his lightsaber away from Adan, and he inactivated it and stowed it once more on his belt.

He smiled at her, chuckling softly, "Okay, you win this time, but don't get used to this, babe."

Bastila never did like men calling her such names, but coming from Trentyn, it seemed affectionate, and she couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Okay, we have to get our friends and get off this damn ship," Tren told her.

He grasped her hand and they ran together out of Adan's room.

--------------

Carina knew she was going to be in for it with her father once they were out of earshot from any other Sith. The silence as they walked towards the bridge was uncomfortable to say the least.

"It was an accident..." she murmured.

"An accident? You could have gotten yourself killed! Then where would we be?" Phin snapped at her. "I know you're new to this, but higher ranking Sith officials do not attack one another."

"He attacked me."

"Only after you attempted to attack his fiancée," Phin countered. "I won't always be there to save you, Carina. It isn't my job to do so anymore."

Carina looked down, avoiding his gaze. "Yes, father."

"You could have very well almost ruined our delicate plan, daughter of mine. Malak would have been most displeased."

"Yes, father," Carina repeated.

"So no more of these so-called accidents. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Carina said with a bitter sweetness to her voice.

The ship lurched suddenly, and both Sith were slammed into the wall. Carina retained her footing shortly after Phin did, and both ran towards the bridge. As they burst in, they were met with the sight of Destrik fighting with Indy and Han.

Phin's lightsaber sprang to life, as did Carina's although a bit more reluctantly. Father and daughter quickly went to Destrik's aid...even though Carina highly doubted that he needed it at all. One Force-sensitive was more than enough to take care of two non-sensitives.

With a fling of his hand, Destrik sent Han crashing into a nearby wall...knocking him unconscious almost immediately. Indy was stronger, however, and did her best to keep the fight up between her and Destrik.

"This is too pitiful," Phin muttered under his breath. "Finish her, Destrik! We have business to attend to!"

Carina stood attentively by, hoping Indy would be oblivious to her. Unfortunately, she was wrong and Indy spotted her, mouth agape at seeing a former friend clothed in Sith wear. Carina returned her stare with a cold, uncaring one.

"As fun as this has been, it is a waste of our time, my dear." Destrik tore Indy's weapon from her grip and stunned her by using the Force.

"Damn frackin' Sith...can't win a damn fight...without cheating..." she mumbled incoherently.

"She is needed, Phin, as is your daughter as you well know," Destrik said, as guards quickly restrained Indy and Han and carried them off towards the cell block yet again.

Carina was confused by the statement. "And what exactly am I needed for, Destrik?"

"He hasn't told you yet?" Destrik seemed mildly surprised and amused.

"No, he hasn't." Carina turned her attention to Phin who stood stoically as ever.

"We need you to destroy the leader of the Sith for us. He is hindering the advancement of the Sith Empire, and only we see the true way things could be," Destrik explained, his voice taking on that seductive edge again.

"Malak? You want to _assassinate_ the Dark Lord of the Sith?" Carina asked in pure astonishment.

"With the two books, we will be able to easily do so. Especially since now we have you with us, and not against us."

"You don't own me, Destrik. Treat me with some respect or I'll cut out that tongue of yours," Carina said angrily through gritted teeth.

"Of course, of course," Destrik said, relenting. "I meant it as a compliment—and I don't give them freely. You are one of the most powerful force users in the Galaxy at the moment...if you use the dark side, that is. You will be unbeatable with a bit more training, I imagine."

"Enough, Destrik," Phin interrupted. "What happened so as they could free themselves?"

"I am not sure exactly how it happened, but I imagine one of the scoundrels found a way to disable the system. I can assure you, it will not happen again," Destrik said.

"It better not," Phin growled dangerously.

Destrik ignored him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of before we manage to get the Book of Life..."

"Not so fast, Destrik," a voice hissed at him.

Carina's eyes immediately sprang to her friends who had burst into the room. Already her father and Destrik had their lightsabers ignited and were in position to attack. Carina figured that they had come to aid Indy...but it had been a little too late.

"It looks like we have some unexpected guests," Phin commented.

Carina remained silent as she resignedly pulled her lightsaber from her waist. The snap-hiss of it igniting filled the room, causing more tension. Igrayne and Bao were at the front and Igrayne merely stared in shock at Carina, not seeming to comprehend her fall to the dark side.

"Welcome, one and all, you are just in time for your execution. Phin and I were just planning to turn those who were force-sensitives into Sith...but since you all are conveniently here, we might as well take the opportunity to kill you."

Evy, who stood beside Atton, looked ready to pounce on Destrik and brutally slaughter him for the things that he'd done recently. But her gaze, instead, fell to Carina who was standing idly by, lightsaber ignited.

"Red..." she mumbled, commenting on the new color of the saber. "Carina, what have you done?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," she replied icily.

"But what about the Jedi?" Evy queried, while Atton looked poised to attack the Sith woman should she try anything.

"The Jedi never held anything for me...it only took my family to show me that."

"The Sith? Carina, the Sith are _evil_!" Igrayne interrupted. "Or have their lies blinded you, too?"

"Perhaps to someone as weak as you who cannot grasp the concept of the Force, the dark side. But save your lecture...I do not fear the dark side as you do," Carina said, pacing to release some of her pent up anger.

"You don't fear it because you don't know what it can do!" Igrayne shouted at her. She knew her friend was still there somewhere deep down inside. She just had to bring it out of her.

"I have seen it...I have tasted the power of the dark side. It holds more truth and loyalty than you or anyone else has ever given to me," Carina replied bitterly.

Phin and Destrik had already circled the companions, and Adan who had finally come to after being knocked out came up from behind, lightsaber ignited and a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. He would kill the man that had interrupted him...and any of his friends as well.

"Enough talk, daughter, it is time to finish this," Phin said, grinning as he thought about eliminating a potent threat to the Sith.

Carina took a menacing step forward but was halted by Mical who, before now, had remained silent.

"Carina, " he began, "what have they done to you?"

"Be silent, Mical. I don't wish to hear anymore pathetic Jedi lies..._especially_ from you," Carina hissed, continuing her advancement.

"No, this isn't you talking. It is the dark side. Your mind has been polluted by your family's lies. The dark side holds only death. Don't become something evil just to spite the Jedi for your loss," Mical said reasonably.

Everyone else was now focused on preparing to fight off the powerful Sith warriors. The only ones absent were Trentyn, Bastila, Rani, and Carth...who Carina could only guess were off doing something else to aid their escape. She would deal with them personally...later.

"You have no clue what it feels like to be betrayed by the ones you love," Carina snapped. "To wake up with no family, no one to watch out for you. To be utterly and completely alone...do you know what that's like, Mical?"

Mical remained silent, allowing Carina to vent.

"Of course you don't. No Jedi does...they think of themselves. They deserve to die. All of them."

"You're allowing your feelings to get the best of you. You were once a great Jedi Knight, and I believe that there's still hope to save you," Mical said.

"Your faith is misplaced, just as mine was. You mean nothing to me, Mical. Not anymore...and I will kill you along with every last one of the Jedi," Carina finished, adding in a quieter tone, "I will show them no mercy."

"Excellent, Carina. Let us finish them off before we get interrupted a third time, shall we?" Phin asked, and Carina nodded in agreement.

Atton immediately pounced at Carina who wasted no time blocking his attack. He was a dangerous man, but no match for a Sith. Carina twirled her saber, singing Atton's blade. Atton continued his onslaught but was quickly stopped as Carina cut his wrists, making him drop his blade. He glared up at her as she loomed over him. Instead of killing him, however, she merely hit him with the hilt of her saber, knocking him unconscious.

Evy and Igrayne managed to keep Destrik at bay, using their powers as Bao-Dur and Mical fought off Phin's attacks. Phin was ruthless and his attack seemed to have no flaw that Mical could see. Though for Mical and Bao-Dur, the defense of the attack was sorely draining on them. Mical made a quick flurry and then uppercut hoping to disarm Carina's father. But to no avail, as Phin quickly countered and sent a blast of pure energy in their direction, sending them spiraling to the floor.

Both Jedi quickly regained their balance, luckily, and managed to keep him busy, praying that their strength would last.

On the other hand, Destrik was beginning to lose his battle with the two women. Both were incredibly strong in the Force and unpredictable, so he could never tell from where an attack would come. He did his best to fight them off, pushing them back into a corner as Phin was also doing to Mical and Bao-Dur.

Carina dabbed at some blood on her lip. Part of her was really torn on what to do. She'd already betrayed her friends, but now they were in very grave danger. A distraction could help them escape, but it could also put herself into immediate danger. She decided quickly that she could kill two birds with one stone. She quickly snuck up behind Destrik, receiving incredulous looks from Igrayne and Evy.

Carina ignited her blade at Destrik's throat.

"Drop your weapon," she hissed in his ear. He did as requested, though reluctantly.

Carina picked the blade up and ignited it as well, holding both at his neck as she forced him to his knees. Evy and Igrayne took advantage of this moment to make a run to help Mical and Bao.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Destrik cried out, and Carina could see the fear in his eyes.

"Ending a certain Sith nuisance," she said, grinning wickedly.

Destrik froze as he realized that she could very well kill him within seconds.

"Can we be reasonable about this?"

"Yes, we can," Carina said, tightening her grip on her blades.

"This is ridiculous...they are going to escape!"

"Perhaps...but they are none of my concern," Carina said in a monotone.

"Of course they are—" he began.

"Be silent and I will make this quick."

With that, she crossed the blades together quickly, slicing Destrik's head cleanly from his neck. His head rolled to the side, and she breathed a sigh of relief. He would never harm anyone again...and yet, at the same time, she'd killed an unarmed prisoner. But it didn't matter, because she was a Sith now.

Phin was barely holding onto the upper hand when Carina sent a Force stun on him, knocking him out. Her old friends looked at her expectantly.

"Get out of here. Now," she growled.

"Why did you help us?" Igrayne asked, hoping she'd turned from her evil ways.

"I want a challenge when I hunt down all the Jedi...including all of you," she taunted. "Now get out of here."

"I am not leaving without you," Mical said defiantly.

"I will kill you if you stay. Leave. I will not warn you again," Carina yelled, her voice almost pleading.

Mical would have stayed had Igrayne not grabbed his arm and motioned for him to run along with the others. They still had to find Indy and get off this Force-forsaken ship...

"Carina..." Phin mumbled, coming around.

She knew he wouldn't remember her knocking him out and she was thankful for that.

"Here, father. Let me help you," she said, helping him stand.

He smiled proudly at her. "You killed him then?"

"Yes."

"That's my girl," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

------------

Rani paced nervously in Destrik's quarters. He had ran off and ordered her to stay put. Rani didn't want to risk angering Destrik, but as the minutes passed, she couldn't stay in the room any longer. She left Destrik's room, and disappeared around the corner, just as Carth arrived. Carth searched Destrik's quarters in vain, as Rani made her way to the bridge.

-------------------

The powerful rip in the Force sent Dustil to his knees. Immediately, he knew something was terribly wrong. He sprung to his feet and rushed to the bridge. There he found Destrik, dead.

The one person that Dustil trusted lay dead at his feet, his head cut cleanly off. Dustil fell to his knees beside the body, anger and pain welling up inside of him.

-------------------

Carina, Phin, and Adan had begun to make their way to the escape pods when Carina realized where they were going.

"Are we leaving?" she questioned her father.

"Yes, now that Destrik's out of the way, all we have to do is get rid of Malak, and the power is all mine," Phin replied, a power-hungry glint in his eyes.

"You mean the power is _ours_, father?" she asked, squinting her eyes.

"Of course, Carina, that's what I meant," he said, smiling.

"Why don't we just take this ship to Malak?" Carina asked.

Adan scoffed, "this is Destrik's flagship, the Sith soldiers on board are all more loyal to him than they are even to Malak, so unless you want to fight and kill all of them..."

"Okay, okay, Adan, I get it, let's just get going," Carina grumbled, wondering what happened to her former friends.

They made it to an escape pod, with little incident.

"Wait! What about the Book?!" Carina asked her father and brother.

"We will wrest it from Dustil later," Phin answered, "he is weak, and without Destrik's guidance, he is nothing."

Carina saw that her father had a plan of some sort, so she entered the escape pod, and they jettisoned off into the night.

------------------

When Rani made it to the bridge, she found Dustil kneeling beside Destrik's body. Rani was shocked, but immediately she knew who had killed him, Carina.

Rani tried to stifle the hate and anger building up in her. She did not want to make the same mistake that Carina did.

Rani dropped to her knees beside Dustil, and her hands involuntarily went to Destrik's cold, lifeless ones.

_We were getting somewhere...I could've saved him,_ she thought as grief overcame her.

She wallowed in the memories of her and Destrik during their good times. When they first met, the first time they kissed, when he first proposed her to her. She had kept her eyes peeled to his chest, not wanting to see the rest of the gruesome scene.

Dustil was the first of the two of them to move. He ran to the nearest computer conduit issuing emergency lockdown of the ship, and calling all soldiers to emergency patrol.

Dustil grabbed the chain that was laying on the floor that had flew off of Destrik's neck when Carina had executed him. Rani's engagement ring still dangled from the chain, and Dustil pocketed it reverently.

Rani looked up at Dustil, her eyes weeping tears.

"What are you going to do now?"

Dustil felt a connection to Rani. She was probably the only person besides himself that truly cared about Destrik. It was this connection that allowed him to share his plan with her.

"I'm going to bring him back," he answered, with a stony gaze.

"What? What do you mean?" Rani stood now, facing Dustil.

"I'm going to resurrect him," he said, his voice slightly shaking.

Rani looked shocked. "Resurrect him?"

"With the Book of Life," he answered, clenching his fists at his sides.

"Dustil, no... it is done, Destrik is gone... who knows what will happen if you attempt to bring him back to life," Rani's eyes were wide. She wished that Destrik hadn't been killed, but resurrecting him just didn't sound right to her.

"You have no idea what games are being played here, Rani," Dustil said to her, pulling her closer to his face.

"Dustil, what is going on?" Rani was desperately trying to understand.

"Destrik is like a father to me, the only person in the world that I decree my undying loyalty to."

"That doesn't sound very Sith-like to me," Rani said quietly.

"It's not about the Sith, Rani. Destrik had much bigger plans than that, and I was to be his heir."

"Heir to what?"

Dustil's smile had no happiness in it, and he ignored her question.

"I swear on my life and yours, that I _will_ bring Destrik back to life."

Dustil's determination was almost palpable, and Rani saw that there was no way to change his mind. He bent even lower to her face, his hot breath stirring a bit of fear in her.

"If you ever loved or cared for Destrik, you will help me, or at least stay out of my way."

"How... how could I help you?" Rani stuttered slightly.

"Your _friends_ are still on this ship. I need Rheya to retrieve the Book of Life for me."

"And you want me to make sure she does that?" Rani said, understanding Dustil's request.

"If you can't, then I will, in a much more painful manner than you would approve of."

A few Sith soldiers arrived at the bridge. Dustil ordered them to wrap up Destrik's body.

Rani waited nearby, wondering if she would be able to get her friends to agree to Dustil's request.

-------------------

After having barely escaped the prison hold with their lives, the crew jubilantly sped toward the escape pods, all thought of the scuffle that had taken place between Carina and Destrik momentarily forgotten. Any sign of a struggle was long since gone.

Kevan led the way to the escape pods as though he knew the ship's design like the back of his hand. Like Bao-Dur, he'd had some experience in ship building and technical maintenance—enough to know the layout of this ship class fairly well. He urged them to press on faster, though Carth kept throwing him an unhappy grimace.

They came to a line of five sleek pods. Two had already been ejected, presumably with Carina and her father and brother in it. The other, Igrayne assumed after a quick scan of her surroundings, could only belong to Dustil and Destrik...unless one or the other was still on the ship. Only time would tell.

Bao-Dur bent double to activate the pod, then opened the door, beckoning for the others to follow.

"Come on," he said, extending an arm to the patiently waiting crew members. Bastila, still wrapped in Tren's warm shirt, was first to accept Bao-Dur's gloved hand as he helped her into the cramped pod. She immediately moved down the line of cushioned seats to provide room for the other escapees.

"I can't," Mical said, when at last it came time for him to enter the pod. Igrayne's grip on his arm was all that prevented him from running back to Carina--if she was even on board at this moment.

"You can do nothing for her if you are dead," Igrayne whispered fiercely, her fingers jabbing him into the back, prodding him into the escape pod. He yielded to her plea, bending his head as he stepped inside. Tren followed suit, assuming the space nearest Bastila. After him went Carth, Evy and Atton.

Meanwhile, Han, Indy, Merc, and Kevan were powering up the other escape pod. There wasn't enough room in the first to support them all. Even with their current carrying capacity, they might sustain a breach somewhere out in space and implode as a result of the pod's weight.

"We regroup on Dantooine," Kevan instructed Bao-Dur, similarly helping the others into the relative safety of the pod. Bao nodded at this. "If you have any problems, use this."

He tossed a small, shiny object into Bao-Dur's outstretched palm. The Zabrak quickly pocketed the comlink for later use.

"All right."

Igrayne paused when she realized she was last to enter the pod. Bao-Dur extended a hand to her and she considered it for one long moment.

"General," he said, "Come on."

Despite their current predicament, Igrayne knew she would be useless just standing around in one of the ship's hallways. Without further thought, she took Bao-Dur's hand and allowed him to pull her into the pod and initiate the lockdown procedure to seal the doors. She could feel the tiny vessel's motors spinning beneath them.

Meanwhile, outside, Indy was the last to step into the second escape pod, which was due to depart at any moment.

"Wait!" a voice cried, stalling her from jumping into the pod. Indy's head whipped around and she fixed her eyes on an out of breath Rani, who ran toward her at full speed.

"Good, you're here," Indy said without preamble, taking her hand to draw her into the pod, "Come on, we're going. You'd better come too."

"No!" Rani said with such an edge that it caused Indy to drop her wrist and narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"What's gotten into you?" Indy asked. She put a hand to her forehead. "Wait...let me guess...Destrik?"

"This is no joke, Indy, I need your help," Rani said, her voice soft and pleading. She spoke in a trilling tone of voice; there was no mistaking the urgency in it.

"We need your help," Rani corrected herself, forgetting for a time that it was Destrik who would benefit from Indy's intervention in the long run.

"Don't tell me you're one of _them_," Indy said with disgust as the ship began shaking again, a testament to the faulty engines backfiring. "Sithspit."

"No, Indy, listen to me," Rani said, her clammy hands gripping Indy's and not letting go. "If there's anyone who can help me, it's you."

"Why not ask your friend Carina?" Indy inquired scathingly.

"I fear it may be too late for her," Rani said sadly, depressed that her friend had fallen so far. In such a short space of time since meeting her on Telos, the woman had gone from an upstanding citizen and nurse to a full-fledged dark Jedi. She couldn't imagine the paths Carina had traveled in her mind that led to her downfall...the ghosts and visions that must have tormented her to make the decision she did.

"And besides...she doesn't know the secret ritual. She can't get us into the tomb on Dxun. Only you can, Rheya."

Indy's eyes widened a little as shock registered within them. Rani had never addressed her by her former name, which meant something was up.

"I'm not doing you or Destrik any favors. You may be perverted by his so-called love, but I can still see him for what he is," she said, ducking to go into the pod. None of the pod's occupants had come out to break up the interchange.

Rani licked her lips to revive them of the loss of moisture.

"Destrik is dead," she said hollowly.

The words hardly sounded real, even when she spoke them. She hadn't a proper time to say goodbye—had she ever, really? Even when she thought she had lost him in the wars, she had never felt this empty inside. Perhaps it was because to her he was just Destrik then. Upon discovery of his true Sith alignment, Rani had truly thought she could turn him. But her love wasn't enough. She would _make_ it enough...when Indy enacted the ritual to resurrect Destrik and restore him to a shadow of his former self.

"Please, Indy, this is not for Destrik. This is for me," Rani stressed, her voice low and pitiful. Indy almost felt compelled to leave the pod and do her friend a favor, but her overriding sense of right and wrong told her this was definitely the wrong thing to do.

"I can't," Indy said as she heard Han's voice whisper from the pod, "Indy, we have to go! Now!"

She had her foot on the transfer hatch when another, deeper voice commanded her to stay put. Indy felt a chill run involuntarily up her spine as she turned around to behold a pair of very familiar-looking brown eyes.

"Dustil Onasi, I should've known it was you, _little_ creep."

Dustil didn't waste time with pleasantries. He already had his lightsaber unclipped from his belt and held it in a defensive stance.

"Get out of there and follow me."

"Think very carefully about what you're doing," Indy said, her hand straying surreptitiously to the blaster at her hip. She hoped Dustil couldn't discern through the Force the move she was about to pull.

"Reviving my old master is what I'm doing," Dustil answered tritely, "And you're going to come out of that pod and help me do it. If I have to drag you out myself, I will do it."

Indy moved down the treads of the pod's short steps, one hand raised to indicate she meant him no harm. Her other hand strayed to her hip, settling on the blaster butt. All she needed was one quick movement to swipe it out and aim it at Dustil's head.

"I thought you were preoccupied with your _gift_," Indy said, buying herself time. Thank goodness that Igrayne had already jettisoned with the rest of the crew in the other pod. This little interchange would certainly cost them precious time in getting to Dantooine, but at least the others could secure a place for them before their arrival.

"Don't try to distract me," Dustil threatened, "It's not working."

"Fair enough," Indy said, her hand flipping her blaster up and aiming it at Dustil's head, "How about this?"

She got off one shot at him, which he deflected just in time to avoid being incinerated. The blaster bolt shot off at an angle, melting into one of the supporting beams of the ship's cavernous corridor. Rani had ducked, as well.

"You'll have to do better than that, Rheya," Dustil said, extending his palm to draw Indy's blaster from her hand. It landed smack in the dead center of his palm, and he quickly sheathed it from view.

Han extracted himself prematurely from the pod, DL-44 blaster in hand and aimed at Dustil's head.

"Well, boys, you picked the wrong smuggler to mess with."

Dustil closed his eyes, channeling all his energies into the Force to draw Han's blaster effortlessly into his palm. Han looked shocked, staring down at his empty palm with mute resignation. He said nothing further.

Dustil moved forward, pushing them all into the pod.

"I think we are going to take a nice, long trip to Dxun. Scratch whatever plans you have to meet your friends."

"We don't know what you're talking about," Kevan said monotonously, his hands clasped together under the folds of his robe. Dustil's lip curled in a sneer as he said,

"Don't insult me, Zabrak. You know very well what I'm talking about."

He nodded toward two Sith troopers who surrounded Rani, signifying them to bring a large, limp object with them into the pod. After getting it comfortably situated on the floor of the pod, leaving them just enough room to stretch their legs, Dustil beckoned to Rani.

"Don't do this," she warned him in a fierce whisper. "It will break your father's heart."

She could see the battle in Dustil's head. His features wavered between pale and sallow and young and bright. He was doing the only thing he knew how to do: his master's bidding.

"I have to. Master Destrik was _everything_ to me. I won't have his death be meaningless."

His eyes, when Rani next looked up, were red, ringed around by gold veins. He was not the same fledgling Sith boy she had known, but a grown man who was strong in the Force and all its eddies and tides. He was becoming too accustomed to the feeling of power coursing through his veins--too much to give it up all now, not when so much was at stake. Not when he could resurrect his master to be almost twice as powerful as Darth Malak himself.

He nodded to Rani to seal the pod door, which she did shortly after stepping inside. She noticed Dustil's hand land on the limp object in the center of the pod.

Indy leaned in to Han and said with great trepidation,

"_Tell_ me that's not a body..."

The trip to the surface of Dxun was silent. Dustil seemed to be mourning over his former master, while the others were just eyeing the limp object with detestation.

Soon the pod crashed on the surface of Dxun and everyone got out, Dustil first and Destrik's body second with the others following after.

The Sith soldiers that Dustil had brought with him surrounded the prisoners and Dustil grabbed Indy's arm, roughly pulling her forward. Han attempted to prevent the man from taking Indy, but a soldier delivered a solid punch in his gut, which caused him to back off.

With a protesting Indy, Dustil walked to the front of the group.

"Lead the way," he ordered. Indy glared, and opened her mouth to deliver a scathing comment. The words never left her mouth as Dustil twisted her arm painfully. Yanking her arm angrily away from Dustil, she managed to dig up a homemade map, one she had patched together from clues in the book.

Soon they were well away from their pod, and Indy felt the beasts seemed to be avoiding them. She didn't blame them; they were carrying on a body to a former Sith Lord, and it was only common sense to avoid them.

After what seemed like hours of walking, a large dark ancient building loomed in the distance. They would be arriving soon and no one except the Sith were looking forward to it.

When they did eventually arrive at the foot of the large stone steps that led to the tomb of a Sith Lord on Dxun, Indy moved to walk up the stairs, but Dustil stopped her.

"What's the plan now?" he asked, wanting to know how things were going to go down.

"We have to find a room in the tomb where the location of the Book of Life is," she answered, and soon everybody was following her up the steps.

They searched the tomb from room to room, until they found the one Indy thought was the place. Han didn't seem to like the fact that she was unsure about it. The room was pitch black, with red writings winding along the walls. In the middle was an altar.

Dustil handed her the book and she placed it on the altar. Letting out a loud sigh, she opened it up and turned the page to the ritual for fetching the Book of Life. She glanced at the others, and sent Han a reassuring look. He looked pained.

Giving another sigh, she slowly started chanting the words in the book. The Sith language sounded like a soft hissing sound; it sounded vicious and sweet at the same time.

As she uttered the last words, a sudden cold enveloped her body, and it felt like she was literally being ripped from the real world.

As the others saw her body fall, Han let out a strangled yell and sprang forward to catch her limp body. The Sith soldier moved to prevent him, but Dustil stopped them with a movement of his hand.

Han shakily lowered her to the ground as he searched for a pulse, anything. She was stone cold, there was no pulse and her eyes were eerily devoid of any life. The crew who had been dragged with on the trek looked on in sadness. Rani was even preventing tears from escaping her eyes. Kevan noticed and draped a reassuring hand around her shoulders.

Rani felt a pang of guilt for the archaeologist on the floor. Sure, she would have a chance of living again, but it was awful to see one die before you because someone wanted power.

Kevan, however, seemed to lack any expression at all.

They all looked on, waiting in silence as they waited for something—anything—to happen.

----------------------------------------------------------

What Indy was seeing seemed unreal. She saw the tomb around her, along with the people in it, and her body. Her surroundings were blurry, and the people occupying the room seemed to emanate an inner light of some kind.

A sound made her jerk her head towards the exit. A cannok was charging towards them, and forgetting the fact that she was dead, she grabbed a spear that had been hanging on the wall.

Jerking it at the animal it let out a horrid scream as the spear hit its target. Everybody's gazes fell on the wounded cannok, but they couldn't see what had killed it.

Feeling all of this was very strange she realized she'd have to hunt down the book now. If she wasn't mistaken she guessed it would be found in the tomb itself, resting near the ugly corpse of whatever Sith Lord that occupied it.

Shuddering slightly she made her way to whatever was awaiting her.

After running through winding halls she finally arrived to what appeared to be the true tomb to the Sith, pushing open the ancient doors she started advancing on the sarcophagus.

In a moment she feared that this was the wrong location, but when she saw a altar behind the sarcophagus with a white glowing book on it she knew she was looking at the Book of Life.

With wide eyes she approached the altar. Carefully she traced a hand along the spine of the book. It was a work of wonders. It was identical to the Book of Death, only that a few of the symbols were different, and instead of being black, this was white.

Slowly she picked it up; all she could do was stare at it in wonder. She was actually holding the Book of Life.

Her wonder was short lived, when the ground below her gave a lurch and something that sounded like a cross between an enraged scream and yell filled her ears.

She spun around, only to become face to face to the dreaded spirit of the Sith lord whose body occupied the tomb.

"Oh shit..."


	34. Council Meeting

The voyage to Dantooine in the minuscule, cramped pod was a long one for the other crew members. The silence of the vessel was almost stifling as their minds were still replaying the disturbing turn of events that they had witnessed… or at least, it would have been silent, save for Atton's occasional complaint.

"Are we there yet?" he moaned, sounding very much like a small child.

Evy looked like she was ready to laugh, but Bastila glared daggers at him, apparently not amused by the scoundrel's clichéd comment. Atton shrugged, looking indifferent.

"What? What did I say?"

Bastila was about to reply with a snide remark when Bao-Dur's comlink sounded an audible beep. All eyes fell upon the Zabrak in anticipation of hearing from their friends and he frantically retrieved the device from his pocket and activated it.

"Bao-Dur? Can you read me?" Kevan's voice crackled onto the com, and a feeling of relief seemed to wash over all of the occupants of the pod.

"We're here, Kevan," said Bao-Dur.

"Bao, I can't talk long, but I'm afraid we have a situation here…"

Bao-Dur's brow creased with worry as he looked upon the comlink. "A situation?"

Igrayne scooted closer to the Zabrak, as her features also expressed deep concern.

"Kevan, where are you?" she asked, speaking into the comlink.

"We've landed upon Dxun…" replied Kevan, as his voice became noticeably more quiet. "Dustil has hijacked our pod and we're currently upon the planet's surface. Dustil wishes for Indy to locate the Book of Life and resurrect Destrik…"

Several gasps were emitted from the various members of the crew and their expressions ranged from repulsion, to fury, to deep sorrow…

"That bastard!" yelled Trentyn, unable to contain his anger. "I knew he couldn't be trusted!"

Upon hearing about his prodigal son's further betrayal, Carth merely bowed his head, looking absolutely stricken as Bao-Dur continued speaking to Kevan through the com.

"Kevan, is everyone all right? Where are you located?" the Zabrak asked, his voice exuding it's usual calmness and monotony.

"Dustil lead us to the ancient Sith ruins. Everyone is-"

Kevan's voice was suddenly cut off as several panicked screams were heard in the background, followed by the distinct sounds of blasters being fired and a lightsaber being ignited. The crew listened to the frantic scene in horror and Kevan yelled something incomprehensible before the deafening noise emitting from the comlink dissolved into static.

Bao-Dur looked rather horrified as he stared at the comlink numbly, and Carth snatched the device from him, screaming frantically into it.

"Kevan? Kevan?!"

When he received no reply, he slammed his hand against the wall of the pod in frustration. "Dammit! We have to go back for them!"

Several members of the crew looked upon the Admiral incredulously, as if he had just suggested the most inane thing in the world.

"What do you mean go back?" asked Evy, who suddenly realized that she was grasping Atton's arm in fear for her friends. She quickly let go of him, giving him an apologetic look. "We're nearly to Dantooine…we can't go back now. "

"I'm gonna have to agree with her on this one," said Atton. "I don't have any intention of going back to that cesspit of a planet any time soon…"

Carth merely shook his head, looking determined.

"I don't care! Our friends are in danger. We need to help them! We have to go back!"

Carth looked as if he were ready to jump out of the pod at any given moment, but Igrayne rested a comforting hand upon his shoulder, looking sincerely into his eyes. Apparently, the stress that he had been through was catching up with the poor man…

"Carth, let's be reasonable about this…"

Her touch seemed to calm her considerably and he inhaled a ragged breath, trying to center himself once again.

"We need to go back… they need us," he stated quietly, feeling utterly helpless. "Rani needs us…"

"Going back is all well and nice," quipped Tren, "and I'm worried about my sister, too, but I highly doubt that this hunk of metal can even get us back to Dxun."

"He's correct," Bastila said quietly, finally speaking up for the first time since they had entered the pod. "This vessel would never succeed in transporting us all the way back to Dxun. We must regroup on Dantooine and inform the Council of our situation. We may gather strength there for the impending battle that is sure to come. I'm positive that our friends will be able to hold their ground in the meantime."

"How can you be so sure of yourself?" Carth asked cynically. "How do you know that they're not already dead? Or that they're not already corrupted to the dark side? "

Bastila sighed, closing her eyes momentarily as if in deep thought. Before she could speak again, Mical answered Carth's question for her.

"Because she has faith, Admiral Onasi."

All eyes fell upon the blonde doctor, who had remained notably silent during the entire ride in the pod. He of all people would not have been expected to be speaking of faith, since Carina's fall to the dark side. Yet here he was, remaining as positive as ever. The man's unwavering sense of optimism was admirable, to say the least.

Although none of the other crew members could argue with Mical's valid point, Carth remained unmoved my his sentiments.

"There's a fine line between faith and pride," said Carth bitterly, as he rested his weary head in his hands. The rest of the crew regarded the admiral with pitying expressions, but wisely decided to say nothing. And thus, silence once again fell among them…

Luckily, the familiar atmosphere of Dantooine was rushing up towards them within a matter of moments. Soon, they would be back upon the planet's grassy surface and out of the cramped space of the escape pod… and the preparation for the ensuing battle would begin. The crew only prayed that it wasn't too late for their friends back on Dxun…

--------------------

Indy reached for the book, but her arms encircled air. The wraith standing before her, once the fallen Sith lord Freedon Nadd, had two empty sockets in his head where eyes should have been. In their place were two glowing red lights. The decrepit corpse howled at Indy's attempted theft.

It swung some vibroblade-like item at her, forcing her to roll away to avoid being cleaved in half. The creature of the once-great lord was all skin and bones, and it came tottering after her as she moved around the tomb. Her movements were lightning fast, no longer restricted by the motor functions of her body. Her new incarnation was incredibly liberating.

Indy reached the altar and scooped up the book, barreling through the pages to find the ancient ritual she'd needed. She closed her eyes, ignoring the wraith's howls, and let the Sith words tumble freely from her lips.

Almost instantly, the world around her began dissolving into a flurry of incandescent colors and lights. She threw both hands over her eyes, still keeping a firm hold on the book. Pain ran along her nerve endings, bringing her back to human consciousness. In her altered state, she had no sense of place, time, or physical sensation. The slip back into her body was jarring. She felt like she had just been snatched from a safe, warm place and was thrown straight into a cold, sterile tomb.

Indy opened her eyes. She was on her back, both arms extended to either side of her head.

"Shh, don't crowd her. Give her some room," a voice said quietly. Indy could see shapes floating over her head, blocking the light source, as she fluttered her eyes open.

She was overwhelmed with an incredible amount of pain, the sum total of being ripped from her body and tossed carelessly back into it all in a matter of parsecs. She didn't realize how easily she had just slipped away into the nether regions of the shadow of death… Only when she found herself awaking to this cold, cruel galaxy was she truly sorry she'd left. She wanted almost immediately to go back.

An arm came around her. Indy pushed it away; the contact excited her senses, waking her to fierce life. It was almost too much to bear.

"Indy, are you okay?" Han's voice called her. She could barely speak enough to reply to him. The experience alone had robbed her of breath. She didn't know how she could go back to living once she'd seen what dying was like, how all her troubles had been washed away…

Her hand unfurled, and Han instantly snatched up the book. Dustil waited nearby, accepting the book from the scoundrel with a sound of mute joy in his throat.

"Thank you, Indy, you've been an enormous help."

He unhooked his lightsaber and activated it.

"And now, I'm afraid I'll have to terminate you all."

"Want to try it, kid?" Han challenged, pulling out his blaster. Dustil's sharp reflexes reduced Han's blaster to smoldering scrap metal in seconds. The scoundrel looked at his empty palm, where the blaster had been.

"On second thought, do what you want."

"That's better," Dustil said, smiling. The energy from his saber emitted a dull glow. "But first, I shall attempt the ritual on my old master."

Dustil worked quickly to unwrap the body from its crude encasing. Destrik's decapitated corpse forced Indy to look away. Han shielded her from further viewing the unpleasant scene by blocking her eyes with his hand. Normally, Indy would not have been bothered by such things, but her prolonged exposure to the feelings once inside that tomb—that was a memory she could never erase. It still pervaded every inch of her mind.

Dustil laid the book down with its face open on the creased-down page with the words he needed to recite. Merc stepped tentatively aside as he ordered for them to draw a circle around the dead Sith's body.

Indy did as she commanded, looking around them at the tomb. Carved frieze and relief showed scenes of some of the greatest Sith victories as forever echoed in the annals of time. Most notably stood Freedon Nadd himself, at the peak of his power. Then Indy remembered what had happened to her in the tomb just a brief moment ago...

"No!" Indy cried, but it was too late. Dustil freely recited the words, his red-rimmed eyes focused on the open book as the words reached a fevered pitch. His singsong, musical voice dropped into a chant as he began repeating passages of the ritual at a time as though he had committed them to memory.

Scarcely before Indy could properly warn him, a great wave of smoke and billowing dust rose from the wall containing Freedon Nadd's tomb. The specter moved like a fog over the crowd, rearing its ugly head with a loud cackle. Han shoved Indy to the ground as the spirit took one broad sweep of the tomb then landed at Dustil's feet.

The young Sith student was quivering in his boots by now. The passage had warned against the effects of resurrecting long-dead beings, namely because they were never whole after the ritual had been completed. That was a passage Dustil had failed to read in his haste to resuscitate his beloved master, Destrik.

"Do something!" Dustil said as the spirit continued to dog him. He ducked as the fog moved over him with a sharp hiss, retching at him. Han shook Indy by the shoulders.

"Come on, Indy, only you know how to stop him!"

She held her head in her hands.

"I...can't. He's...too powerful."

She said this with her voice trembling, as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Han just held her closer. Kevan, who had been silent until now, unsuccessfully aimed his blaster in every which way, trying to take aim at the creature. He loosed off a couple of blaster bolts, which ricocheted off the walls of the tomb, landing in the ground.

"Put that thing away before you get us all killed!" Merc cried irritably.

"Looks like we're about to anyway," Han murmured. The Zabrak holstered the blaster as the spirit glided to a halt in front of Dustil. Its cloak spread like gossamer around the decrepit old body, waving through the air. The two red jewels in its head glittered even brighter.

"Why have you summoned me?"

Dustil was momentarily at a loss for words. The creature resorted to provocation, eliciting a sharp howl that chilled the young Sith to the bone. Dustil knew he had to talk fast or suffer the wrath of one very angry Sith lord he had woken prematurely from his slumber.

"Master," Dustil said, bending his knee to the apparition, his eyes focused on the ground, "It is a time of great turmoil and upheaval. The Sith are close to uprooting the very foundation of the Republic, but that goal cannot be met without your aid."

The creature opened its skull-like jaw to speak. As it did, Indy could see that no flesh covered its bones.

"The Republic has been a thorn in my side ever since my Jedi training at Ossus. From my very early days they monitored me, sensing that I was strong in the Force. That same Republic, you say, has now become twisted and weakened by the very taint of the lies that the Jedi have spread."

Dustil allowed his eyes to peek up at the master for a fraction of a second before lowering them again, fearing that the ghost might take offense to this and strike him down.

"Yes, my master."

"The ones who travel with you," the wraith said scathingly, a venomous hiss in his voice, "They are not to be trusted. Eliminate them."

"I will, Master Nadd, but first I must revive my old master."

Dustil pulled back the folds of his cloak to reveal Destrik's stark white corpse laying stiffly on the ground beside him. The wraith took one look at it and intoned, "A young fool. But a necessary fool, nonetheless. Revive him."

Dustil pored over the document again, closing his eyes and clearing his mind of all coherent thought as he once again began to chant the powerful Sith magic. A similar wind engulfed the room much as it had when Freedon Nadd's ghost was first called from its final resting place.

Dustil watched with amazement as Destrik's lifeless body was slowly mended. He could see it on an almost cellular level--the severed muscles and tendons weaving themselves together like a Sith tapestry, the stiff arms becoming rough and sinewy again, the head sinking in to its proper place upon the shoulders. As Dustil watched the miraculous operation being performed upon the corpse of his master, his breath caught jagged in his chest and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. He felt as though he were witnessing something very big—bigger than himself and the small bubble he inhabited while a student at the Korriban Academy. Bigger than the tiny sphere of influence he had commanded while a school prefect. He felt now they were finally able to take on Darth Malak for supreme reign over all the galaxy. With two omnipotent Sith to guide them to victory, they could not fail...

Rani held both hands to her throat, wanting to gag at the sight unfolding before her. She had said her premature goodbyes to Destrik while onboard his flagship, never expecting or hoping to see him again. Yet some part of her longed for his return, to feel his kiss against her lips once more. Standing here watching his corpse revive itself cured her mind of all those unwanted thoughts, though.

Destrik, though not whole in body, opened his eyes. When the figure sat up, it was not a being, but a soul possessing a lifeless body as a vessel for conversation. Dustil could see that the body on the ground no longer belonged to his master, though he used it to facilitate the ease of communication.

"My young apprentice," the Sith said. The rotting hand reached out to Dustil's cheek, and he kissed the hand fervently. He stooped his head low in a reverent bow.

"My master," Dustil said quietly.

"There were dark places in which I walked," the figure said, closing its eyes in a very unusual manner. On the whole, Destrik's movements seemed very alien—almost as though he were unaccustomed to the workings of a human body or how he should act inside of it. "You woke me up from those dark places and brought me into the light. For that, you shall be rewarded."

Dustil lowered himself until he was prostrate on the floor, both arms extended all the way across the floor.

"What is your bidding, master?"

Destrik acknowledged the hovering Sith wraith with a nod of extreme praise, a chilling smile fixed firmly on his stiff, white lips.

"You know what must be done, Dustil." He paused. "I shall be whole again once I return to my places of power, the places where the Force still calls to me."

The creature closed its eyes and snarled as though drawing a deep, albeit wolfish, breath.

"You brought me back as a shadow of myself. With your oath, I will become whole again. I must first go to Korriban. The echo calls to me there, greater still. To complete the ritual, you must bring me to these places where the Force fills me."

Destrik gazed around the room with a blank expression. His eyesight obviously wasn't stellar, or he would have recognized the blank faces surrounding him with wonder. There was one among them who he could sense through the Force without the use of his eyes, however.

"Rani," he said very softly. Rani was too afraid to respond to his summons, so she just stayed behind the relative safety of Han and Indy, whose pressed together bodies formed a human shield between her and Destrik. She couldn't bear to think of facing him now, in his weakened state.

"Rani!" he said more firmly. This time, she obeyed, seeing no other alternative. She stepped out in front of him, dropping to one knee as she had seen Dustil do.

The body moved with very foreign motions, raising her from her kneeling stance to stand before him.

"No, you will not bow to me. I promised to give you all of me. You will see that promise fulfilled."

Rani looked away with disgust as his long, spindly hand proceeded to caress her cheek and he went forward to taste of her lips. His lips were cold and clammy to the touch, lacking any warmth whatsoever. She might as well have been pressing her lips to Destrik's dead body.

"Don't turn from me, Rani," Destrik said, his angry grip on her chin holding her face toward him, "Don't look at me as though I'm a monster. I am Destrik. Your Destrik."

"Funny," Rani said through gritted teeth, determined to fight back at any cost, "I only see a weakened Sith before me."

Destrik's hollow eyes clouded over visibly.

"Do not mock me. I may not be whole in body, but when I am I shall teach you that a remark like that does not go unpunished."

His hands clamped around her waist, drawing her closer.

"You are powerless," Rani breathed, "You are just a figment of my imagination..."

"Can a figment do this?"

Destrik crushed his lips against hers again, and for a moment she thought she felt the flick of a tongue behind her teeth. He was gradually gaining back his power. She realized now that time was of the essence if they really wanted to destroy him and the Sith once and for all.

But was destroying him what she wanted? No, she told herself. Destrik, her beloved with whom she had shared so many laughs, so many sweet, chaste kisses, and so many memories with, had returned to her. The more time passed, the more rooted in reality he would become. Otherwise, he would just slip away from her...

"Call our brothers to life," Freedon Nadd's spirit rasped, waving its one wispy arm that clutched what looked like a vibrospear. "They rest on Korriban."

"Then that is where we shall go," Dustil said with resolve, moving quickly to his feet.

"Not so fast, my young apprentice," Destrik cautioned him, his eyes blazing red with fury. "How can I be sure your loyalty still lies with me and not Malak?"

"Master—" Dustil said breathlessly, surprised he would even imply that, "I would die for you..."

"And for her?" Destrik asked, his wiry hand stroking through Rani's long, dark mane of hair. She felt like an icy hand was stroking up and down her back, inciting involuntary chills in her body.

"Yes, for master's consort, I will gladly die," Dustil said, lowering his head, deferring to Destrik's judgment. He spoke in an almost trance-like mode.

"I have no just cause to doubt what you say is true, yet. Just don't give me any reason to," Destrik said disapprovingly, his eyes two perfect black beads. Dustil nodded.

"Quickly now," Freedon Nadd announced, "the time has come. Bring a ship to Korriban, wake our brothers from their sleep. Let us seize control of the galaxy and bring Sith supremacy to the land once and for all! The Republic's measly forces are no match for the power of the dark side!"

Destrik turned to look at his counterpart, mildly intrigued by this statement.

"After we have done so, I suggest we pay a visit to Lord Malak. It has been too long since I have seen my old friend. I want to pay him all the proper respect as befits one of his rank and prestige."

The cruel manner in which he voiced this desire informed Rani of his true intent. Darth Malak! They planned to overthrow Darth Malak's tyrannical crusade against the Jedi and the Republic! She didn't doubt that they could accomplish just that--but where would it end? When every last Jedi was dead and gone? When all goodness was wiped from the face of the galaxy?

The chill of the tomb overtook her.

"Yes, my master," Dustil said, prepared to do whatever the two Sith lords asked of him.

------------------------

Carina wistfully watched the stars streak past her line of vision. The escape pod was blasting through miles of black space without so much as a planet in sight. Phin and Adan had constantly reassured her that they would be landing on Korriban at any minute, but her hopes were dashed the longer the vastness of space encompassed their tiny vessel.

Carina pressed her head against the rattling inner hull of the escape pod. Space travel made her queasy, especially in such cramped quarters.

Despite all this, the rattling wasn't enough to shake the memory of what she had done from her mind. She had relished the feeling of robbing Destrik's life from him. He had deserved it after all he had done to her, Rani, and the others. Somehow, executing him had been empowering.

It was almost as though Phin and Adan had been planning it from the start. Planning to turn her so they could use her as an instrument against their greatest foe—Destrik. Carina closed her eyes and banished the unwelcome thought. That was merely the Mical in her speaking—the good-natured, suspicious soul who looked out for anyone and anything about him.

She hated Mical and his goodness. It was sickening to watch his face contort with grief every time he watched her perform a horrendous act of some kind. She didn't like incurring his disapproval of her actions, but she liked his whining and sniveling even less. If only he had just followed her, chosen the same path as she...

She knew that was never possible. Especially not now, with her fate in turmoil. She had gone too far to simply turn back now. The dark side held an irresistible lure for her ever since the moment she was first tempted by her family. She had wanted, then and there, to abandon all the Jedi teachings she'd been endowed with while a student at the Enclave and just succumb to the darkness she knew was inside of her. Now that she had, it felt good to let go...

"We're nearing Korriban," Adan announced, checking a small module, "We should be making planetfall in less than a standard time unit. Brace yourselves; this could get a bit rough."

Carina's hands clamped down onto the cushioned seat beneath her as the pod hurtled full-speed toward the red atmosphere of Korriban, home of the Sith Academy.

She knew Darth Malak was already waiting for them. She could feel him through the Force.

------------------------

Bastila led the march up the overgrown pathway to the doors of the Jedi Enclave before demanding insistently to its young padawan guard to be admitted before the Jedi Council. The youth told them they had been expected and led them through the winding halls of the academy, past the great tree that grew in the courtyard.

"First, we must report to Master Vrook on all that has happened," Bastila announced as she marched with an even stride straight past the tree.

"I don't see why all this is necessary," Carth said irritably. "I could be using the time to call up more reinforcements."

"Listen to Republic," Tren snorted. "All noble and heroic sounding."

"That's what his type is best at," Atton said with a grimace. "Playing hero."

"I could do without the sarcasm, guys," Carth said, gritting his teeth against the barrage of insults. He'd had enough of their good-natured pranks and comedic drunken nights to fill a hangar bay with. Right now, decking one of them would have been oh-so satisfying, but Carth used his Republic training to restrain himself from using physical force or violence on either one of them. Holding his raw emotion in check was proving considerably more difficult the longer they were bound together.

As they reached the doors to the council chamber, Bastila straightened her back to appear very proper. Tren pulled at one of her pigtails, nearly tugging it out of place before Bastila gave him a scathing glance.

"I don't appreciate your pranks."

"What?" Tren asked with a shrug. "They say you always tease the girl you like."

Bastila tried to look nonplused but couldn't avoid rolling her eyes at Tren's childish display.

"Do try to behave yourself in front of Master Vrook. He will not be pleased when he finds a Sith among us, and even moreso when he discovers you..._favoring_ me with your attention."

Tren jabbed Atton in the ribs, and both of the men let off a chorus of laughter.

"Where would I be if I wasn't _favoring you with attention_?" Tren asked.

"Back to your childish pranks, I presume," Bastila said tiredly, rubbing her eyes and looking very much like she had given up on trying to reason with Tren.

"That's it, keep insulting me. I like it when girls play rough," Tren said with an added wink. Bastila burst through the doors into the council chamber, flanked on either side by Igrayne and Bao-Dur.

At the sight of the huge crowd flocking into the room, Master Vrook hoisted himself out of his chair and went forward to greet them.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked, his eyes scanning over all the new faces. His eyes lingered meaningfully on Igrayne, who had begged the others to reconsider taking her into the Enclave with them. Despite her complaints and pleas that she be left aboard the ship, Bastila had insisted that she accompany them. So she obliged the Jedi woman this once.

"Master Vrook," Bastila said, moving to supplicate herself. The old Jedi waved away the gesture impatiently.

"Enough of that, Bastila. What have you to report? And why are your companions here with you?"

His eyes lingered on Igrayne questioningly, but when Bastila offered him no explanation, Igrayne decided it was her turn to speak up.

"Destrik is dead, though Dustil Onasi has taken his place."

"And by what means have you obtained this information?" Vrook asked. There was a long, brittle silence.

"An Iridonian by the name of Kevan," Igrayne continued, "One of our party—he contacted us shortly after we were separated. Dustil hijacked their escape pod and was reported to be heading to Dxun to gain an ancient book and thereby resurrect a Sith lord..."

They noticed Masters Vrook and Vandar exchange surreptitious glances that spoke volumes about the magnitude of what was taking place beyond the tiny moon of Dantooine.

"Disturbing, this news is," Vandar croaked, his big, green eyes blinking back wonder. A tense silence enveloped the room even as he said this.

"It's clear the Sith are preparing to amass their forces," Vrook said, turning to the diminutive green alien. "We will need to call on our own forces to begin the preparations for war."

"So soon it has come," Vandar commented sadly, "The Sith have expedited things with this unforseen action of theirs."

"The Sith are a worthy adversary," Tren noted. Vrook's coolly impersonal tone broke the stillness that clung in the air as a result of Tren's loud declaration.

"And you, from what I understand, are one of them."

Tren wiped his nose on his arm, shaking his head.

"Was. Broke those ties when I left Korriban some time ago. Now I have ties to nobody but my sister."

"Yes, your love for her is admirable if its what has kept you from them," Vrook said, a cold edge of irony apparent in his voice.

"The only thing that's kept me from them is me," Tren declared. "I decided I'm no one's pawn."

"That's very wise of you," Vrook said. "Perhaps its better to ally yourself with no one in such treacherous times. Ties can get you killed."

"Yeah," Tren agreed, amazed that the Jedi would actually agree with him instead of offering up a lecture. He half-expected the old geezer to go on a tirade of reasons why what he was doing was wrong.

"With respect, sir," Carth said, standing at attention as he delivered this address to Vrook, "I'd like to start training forces."

"You don't need me to authorize such a command."

"I'd like to use _this_ as a base," Carth added as an afterthought. The old Jedi put two and two together.

"Impossible. It's just not done," Vrook barked straight into his face.

"This may be the only quadrant of the galaxy where the Sith aren't looking for us," Carth explained. "If you allow me to train troops here, we can ally with the Jedi for the coming war, using this as our base to meet and discuss strategies."

"No one is allowed in the Enclave who has not sworn themselves to the Jedi. Even you being here is forbidden," Vrook said angrily, amazed that the younger Republic soldier stand before him in bold affront.

"And yet you let us stay," Carth said, "Why?"

Vrook's eyes narrowed.

"He has a point, Vrook," the little green creature said, slipping out of the floating chair that comprised one portion of the council circle. He hobbled over on a gimer stick, gazing up at the faces gathered around him. "With the continued Sith presence around all sectors of the galaxy, Republic activities will be well documented. With such a place as this for the training ground, we cannot fail."

A look of implacable determination replaced the scowl on Vrook's face.

"I thought Jedi are the sworn defenders of the Republic," Carth said smugly, his face displaying an uncanny self-confidence.

"Very clever," Vrook remarked, a twisted smile on his visage. "But you'll regret what this brings when you see the Enclave being wiped out by Sith forces, the Jedi being killed and dying..."

"People are dying all over the galaxy!" Carth stammered, scarcely unable to control his wild voice.

"Which leaves us no reason to bring it here!" Vrook stated. Vandar interceded between the two arguing men, raising his little clawed hands up in a peaceable gesture.

"The council will meditate on your request and return to you with an answer by sundown."

Carth's expression was taut and derisive as he nodded agreeably to this.

"Fine. We'll be waiting."

He turned his back to the Jedi Council, storming from the room with the others following in hot pursuit. Vrook exchanged some brief words with Bastila before releasing her to the care of the others.

In the hall, Carth was pacing like a madman to try and calm his frazzled nerves. The meeting with Vrook had already set him on edge.

"I can't believe the Jedi masters! They're as ineffective as an astromech droid!" Carth fumed.

"Boy, you can say that again. Those little bucket of bolts' are damn near useless in repairing a hyperdrive," Atton commented. Carth ran a heavy hand through his hair, slicking it back over his temples.

"Relax, Carth, the council has not yet made their decision," Bastila assured him.

"How can I know that they'll do what's right?" Carth asked, his palm upraised to indicate frustration. A cold, congested expression settled on his face as Bastila attempted to soothe his fears with honeyed words.

"The council will do whatever is in their best interest."

"Of course," Carth spat humorlessly. "I should know. The council is all about being politic, not doing what's right. Whatever profits them in the long run is good."

"Carth, that's not fair," Bastila reprimanded him.

"No, it's not. But it's the truth."

While Carth stormed off, his expressive face changed and became almost somber. Bastila heaved a sigh of relief and turned toward the others.

"You'd best make yourself at home while we wait. It could be a while before the council delivers their decision."

Igrayne relaxed comfortably against the tree in the courtyard, wrapping both arms over her knees as she lounged under the shade of the midday sun. Though the crew had quickly developed a good rapport, that had now degenerated into a series of fights and quarrels that threatened to burst the thin cord of their friendship. Those ties needed to be strengthened now more than ever, with the impending threat of war hanging over their heads...

"Hello, General," a soft voice said, breaking her from her thoughts.

Igrayne nervously moistened her dry lips, the tensing of her jaw betraying her deep frustrations that had resulted from Bao-Dur finding her in a compromising position with Dustil Onasi. He had probably seen it and drawn his own conclusions.

"Bao," she said half-heartedly, "I just want to say—"

"—That discussion is better saved for a time when we aren't running around being chased by Sith," Bao-Dur interjected, guessing what she was about to say. Her mouth thinned with displeasure.

"Right."

He sat down beside her, and she could feel the heat emanating off his body. The climate on Dantooine wasn't very warm, but being near Bao-Dur certainly invoked such feelings within her.

She shifted postures to ease her aching back. Sitting for long periods of time in the escape pod had made her restless.

"He wasn't happy to see me."

"Master Vrook?" Bao-Dur queried.

"Yeah," Igrayne said with a nod. "I could sense it."

Bao-Dur's infectious grin set the tone for the rest of their conversation.

"Despite all that has happened, you still haven't allowed yourself to be cut off from the Force."

"How can I? It pervades my every thought. It's like I just can't get it out of my mind!" Igrayne said, resting her chin on her hand.

"I sensed conflict in him. He was happy to see you, but conflicted," Bao-Dur said, closing his eyes to call up the memory at will.

"All the more reason I should have stayed on the pod," Igrayne said, digging her fingertips in the dirt. It gave her something to do so she didn't have to bear another minute of the silence. When the Zabrak realized her comfort level had been breached, he continued.

"How about a round of sparring?"

"Are you serious?" she asked with a humorless laugh.

"Afraid of a little competition, General?" he taunted.

"Since you put it _that_ way..."

She climbed to her feet, brushing herself off as she drew her lightsaber. Bao-Dur did the same, and they began their first round of fighting. Igrayne was already winded after a few strokes. He had her at a disadvantage.

Igrayne doubled over, panting.

"Can't we just take this...training thing...slow?" she asked in between breaths. Bao-Dur circled her, prompting her to straighten up.

"You're tired and your body won't do the things it normally does," Bao noted.

_You would know,_ Igrayne thought mischievously. How would she ever convince him of this fact when the thought of Dustil hung over both their heads?

"It is your new objective to make it. You need to stretch yourself beyond your endurance," he commanded, his dark eyes focused on her stance, assessing everything from her muscle tone to her practice form. Igrayne wondered if that was all he was looking at…

They continued a while longer, fighting back and forth, drawing attention from some of the younger padawans who crept over to watch them spar. An excited buzz rang out around them as Bao-Dur knocked the lightsaber easily from her grasp and forced her to her knees.

She stared up at him and noted with incredulity his set face, clamped mouth, and fixed eyes. The lines of concentration deepened along his brow and under his eyes.

Bao-Dur circled her, his gloved hand clasping the cylindrical hilt of his lightsaber as he gazed down at her. His energy arm was glowing brightly, exuding a slight humming sound. The muscle of his forearm hardened beneath the sleeve.

"Get up, General." His voice was soft and venomous at the same time, both silkily inviting and quietly disparaging.

Igrayne raised her shoulders to concede defeat. Most of the crowd surrounding them had dissipated by now, leaving them alone with one another to speak in private.

"Look, with Dustil...I was trying to save our skins..."

Bao-Dur said very calmly, "So you proceeded to sleep with a man in his bed and degrade yourself for the price of our lives? No life is worth such a loss of honor. I expected more of you, General."

He had viewed her through such wholesome eyes as some great, wonderful leader of men and women. How fully it must have humanized her for him to have seen her like that—a diminutive, vulnerable woman in need of human comfort.

"I did what was necessary," Igrayne said. "I never meant to hurt you."

"My feelings are my own and are not of any consequence," Bao said flatly. The silence was almost overwhelming. "Let us put them aside and focus on the mission now."

"Why do you continue to lie to yourself?" Igrayne asked, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "When will you realize that _you_ are all I have ever wanted?"

She thought she saw him turn a few shades of color deeper at that veiled sentiment, but dismissed it as a trick that her eyes had been playing on her.

"We must get back to the others, General. There is training that needs to be undertaken," Bao informed her in a composed-sounding voice.

"So...we're understood, then?"

He said briskly, "Yes, General."

As he walked off, there was a definite spring in his step.

-----------------------

Evy looked out across the courtyard as she watched Tren and Atton conversing, looking to be having a very good time. She watched with detachment as they played pranks on some of the passing padawans, which earned them glares from Juhani and Bastila, who were both patrolling the perimeter.

When Bastila noticed her standing apart from the others, she strode purposefully toward the younger woman and asked,

"Is something the matter?"

"No. Why?"

"You've been sullen all morning," Bastila said, "It has not been beyond my notice."

Evy fidgeted with a loose piece of hair, trying to tame the unruly strand back into place. It was merely a distraction from having to answer Bastila's question. With Igrayne and Rani otherwise preoccupied, she had no one to reveal her frustrations with Atton to. Bastila seemed like the next best candidate for a heart-to-heart, considering how earnestly they had talked before.

"It's nothing. It's just...Atton."

She cast her eyes longingly out over the courtyard of the Enclave, her heart pounding in her chest.

"He dissatisfies you," Bastila presumed, following her line of vision.

"No!" Evy replied. "Yes. I don't know. I can't seem to understand what he wants from me. I seem to be some supplement to that Jedi, Skylaer he's talking about. And he..."

"Continually wastes away his time with Trentyn, leaving you to yourself," Bastila added.

"Well..."

Bastila put both arms around her, being uncharacteristically affectionate.

"Atton is, as ever, the fool. He can be no more or no less than what the galaxy has intended for him. Stop searching for what can never be and accept what he is."

Evy didn't want to hear the words, but she chose to accept them anyway. She wanted to hear Atton's praises as reassurance that she was on the right path. Half the time, her feelings wavered between lukewarm and boiling hot. During the past few hours, however, they'd cooled considerably once she realized Atton was up to his old tricks again...

"Why do you continue to deny yourself the path of a Jedi?" Bastila asked. She knew she had caught the other woman at a disadvantage since she was at her most vulnerable.

"I...I don't know," Evy said honestly. "I suppose I am scared. It is a lonely path, and so many lives are given up daily to further its useless goals and ideals."

"Freeing the galaxy from tyranny is a useless ideal?" Bastila queried.

"No...that's not what I...oh, forget it," Evy gulped. She looked supremely annoyed with the other woman for ever having mentioned anything.

"You are very strong," Bastila whispered, "The Master has sensed it. Right now, you have no outlet for your feelings. By channeling those emotions into the Force, you can achieve peace and balance in your life."

"Is that true?" Evy inquired, sounding very much the novice. Bastila essayed the role of teacher perfectly.

"Yes. Through the Force, all things are possible. Only through training can you harness this power. It is a long and arduous path..."

Evy's ash-blonde hair clustered in short curls around her heart-shaped face. She was seriously considering all that Bastila was offering her.

"You told me once that you would teach me this power. Will you still do it?" she asked in an undertone.

Bastila smiled, leading her from the courtyard toward one of the unused training rooms populated with a various array of rigorous exercises designed to test the Jedi padawans to their limit.

"Of course."

Evy ran over and dislodged one of the vibroblades from a weapons rack lining the wall. Blade fighting was the most basic technique, so she assumed this was what Bastila had in mind for her training.

"No weapons," Bastila informed her, taking off her belt and lightsaber to facilitate quicker movement about the ring.

"What are we fighting, fisticuffs?" Evy asked, emitting a girlish peal of laughter.

"There will be no weapons training as yet," Bastila said, both hands firmly planted on either hip as she stood before the younger woman. "Come here on the mat."

With a groan, Evy released the vibroblade to its proper place upon the wall and went forward to kneel in front of Bastila, aping her relaxed, meditative stance.

"Weapons training comes after you learn to control your thoughts," Bastila said, "So that is what we must do now. Let us begin meditating."

Evy shut her eyes so tight she thought she saw red. She began clearing her mind of all thoughts, letting the Force flow through her—but a constant smattering of images from her time together with Jeran entered her consciousness. Bastila could sense the direction of her wayward thoughts and opened one eye disapprovingly.

"You are not concentrating. You must focus your thoughts. An unguarded mind leaves you open for an enemy attack. Make no mistake of it that the mind is the weakest place to be struck."

Evy listened to her instruction, closing her eyes to try again. No matter how hard she tried, all thoughts of Jeran began surfacing to her consciousness. Then, she felt a shift in her thoughts begin to occur as Jeran's face morphed into her current amour—Atton. The face was a welcome surprise in the sea of her thoughts. Again, Bastila rang out with disapproval,

"You are not focusing. Banish all thoughts that do not pertain to the Force, for they will betray you. It's dangerous to have such troubled thoughts and such a lack of focus, though it is not uncommon in a padawan."

Evy blushed, realizing that her thoughts were at odds with her determination to see this portion of her life through to a close. She wanted to become a Jedi, if for no other reason than to become strong and powerful enough to pay them back for what had happened to Jeran long ago.

They continued their meditative stance for another few hours, until Bastila sensed that Evy's wayward thoughts were becoming too overpowering on her concentration. The young woman moved to her feet like a sprite, instructing Evy to follow her onto the center mat.

"What now?" Evy asked.

"You said before that you wanted to spar, so I am giving you that chance, if only to humor you."

"I thought my mind needed to be focused."

"It will come with time. But for now, as you say, we will begin the basic fighting forms. I will even teach you teras kasi." Bastila paused, broadcasting a regal certainty. Whatever response she had expected that to inspire was obviously not coming from Evy.

Both women resumed their places on the mats. Bastila allowed Evy to strike first. She always knew how to sense the proper time to fight and hold back, so she delivered her roundhouse kicks and punches accordingly, preying on Evy's propensity to strike without forethought.

The fight was an extremely easy one. Evy toppled over with one kick to her side. Bastila went and bent over her, peering down into her face.

"Had enough?"

"Ouch," Evy groaned, clutching her side. Bastila extended a hand to her, helping her to her feet.

"Lesson number two: never attack without first studying your opponent. Much can be gleaned from simple observation: the stance, the spacing of the feet, the movement. If you take a moment to observe all this, it will profit you greatly in whatever battle you have."

Evy looked miserable.

"I'm sorry...I failed."

Bastila favored her with one of her penitent smiles. "It was a battle well fought. There was no failure in it. You will come to use the Force again with ease when the time is right. The reason you cannot use it is because you try to use it. The Force comes, unbidden, to those who aren't using it in vain. You must let go of the past first."

Evy flushed crimson, looking away. She grabbed a small towel to dab the sweat from her forehead. While plumbing the depths of her mind, Bastila had obviously found a little jewel with which to taunt her.

"Your thoughts centered on Jeran almost constantly when we fought. And on Atton," Bastila said with a tinge of resentment in her voice. "You must let go of all worldly ties if you are to become a true Jedi."

"I can't."

"You will," Bastila coached her. "Free yourself of your grief, and you will live freer in the Force. And besides...not all Force-users are skilled at teras kasi. Some use the Force for teaching, others for fighting, and even others for healing. There are many paths that will open to you once you learn to center yourself. Which one you choose remains to be seen. But soon, I know, you will find your true calling with your powers."

"You think?" Evy asked with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yes. Very soon. Your powers are already beginning to manifest themselves in ways yet unknown to you. It will take time."

"We don't have time!" Evy stammered. "We're about to fight the Sith very soon."

"Patience," Bastila reprimanded her, "This cannot be forced. Devote yourself to your teachings. And in the meantime, derive no pleasure from your connection with that scoundrel."

"But..."

"He holds nothing for you but death and destruction. His presence is like a disease among us. If you let the sickness in, it will fester."

Evy hung her head in shame as the Jedi woman said this.

"Go now. You are dismissed. Continue with your teachings. I will call on you for another lesson tomorrow."

"Yes, mistress," Evy said, bending her knee to her in a show of respect.

She exited the training room and returned to the courtyard, where she heard a familiar voice trilling her name.

"Hey, babe!"

She turned around to see an out of breath Atton standing next to her. He looked as if he had just run a mile to come see her.

"I was looking for you," he said, cozying up to her to kiss her neck. Evy shouldered him hard. Atton's steely eyes glazed over.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Please don't touch me in such a familiar way," she asked. Her hand settled on the lightsaber, and Atton followed its direction to her belt. "I am training to become a Jedi Knight again."

"A Jedi?" Atton spat, purely angry at this new turn of events.

"You don't sound pleased."

"And why should I be? Everything the Jedi spits out is a pack of lies. Everyone knows it. Revan sure as hell knew it."

"Please reserve your opinions for someone else," Evy said, bristling with indignation.

"What? Can't bear to listen to more of the '_Sith_' propaganda?" Atton asked. "Look, I knew a lot of Jedi. I killed a lot of them on Malachor V, while the planet was dead and dying. And you wanna know something else? They deserved to die. Every last one of them."

"I don't see how you can justify that statement," Evy said angrily.

"Look, just forget it. It's useless trying to talk to anyone around her," Atton said dismissively.

"Yet you have no problem talking to Tren," Evy complained.

"Is _that_ what this is about?"

"No, Atton. This is about you taking issue with me becoming a Jedi."

"You'd never understand me if I explained it to you."

"Try me," Evy said, with her hands on her hips.

"All right, you wanna hear it? Fine, here goes: You remember Skylaer. Of course you do. She was one of them. She told enough lies to get my attention, then once she had me in her web she abandoned me to Destrik."

"This is about revenge?" Evy said.

"No. It's more than that. It's about not being able to trust Jedi. At least the Sith are honest about what they're fighting for. They don't come in all noble then stab you in the back," Atton snapped.

"Neither do the Jedi."

"You know what? Forget it. Forget we even talked," Atton said, storming off.

Evy watched him with a deeply pained expression on her face. She half wanted to run after him, but she didn't want to cost herself her sense of pride. With her pride still intact, she walked away to rejoin the others as they awaited the decision of the Jedi Council. Hopefully, it would be to their liking, and Carth would be able to call for Republic soldiers to train on Dantooine.

She couldn't imagine the turmoil he must have been going through with the loss of Morgana, Dustil, and now Rani. The poor man had simply kept on like a droid, putting aside his fears and feelings all in the good name of the Republic. Part of her wished she could be more like that.

Now was her chance. The prospect of becoming a Jedi filled her with promise for a brighter future.

----------------

By sundown, Master Vandar had delivered the council's verdict, allowing for the training of Republic forces in the confines of the Enclave. The little creature had expressly stated that there were laws strictly forbidding the soldiers from intervening in the daily routine of the Enclave's students, to which Carth had agreed.

With preparations underway for the Republic soldiers to be clandestinely transported to the Jedi Enclave, Carth's despondent demeanor took a turn for the best. He seemed genuinely happy and at peace with himself enough to whistle every now and then when he walked about the halls of the Enclave.

Igrayne had resumed her training with Bao-Dur on a daily basis. She had come to a silent agreement with Master Vrook allowing her the use of her lightsaber once again--for Vrook was not so much of a fool as to not make use of her skills in the weeks to come.

Igrayne entered the small training room, going to kneel in the center of the floor. It was a spartan room, with only a bench and a few weapons racks. The room was domed at the top to allow a moderate amount of sun to stream into the room. Igrayne closed her eyes and began centering herself. When meditating, it was easy to regain her focus by simply clearing her mind of all her thoughts, washing the slate clean.

She was in this stance for several minutes before the door slid open and in walked the zabrak, arrayed in a traditional tunic and robes. His gloved hand clutched his lightsaber as he walked over to her and moved to his knees beside her.

He closed his eyes and freed himself from all thought. Igrayne finished meditating then stood up to inform him she was ready for the physical fighting to begin. Bao-Dur remained staid, his eyes closed, his gloved palms flattened against his knees, fiercely controlling his breathing.

Igrayne went over and chose a polearm, giving it a quick test. The movements of her hands had been clumsy at first until Bao-Dur instructed her on a simpler technique. Since then, she had practiced it over and over again in her chamber at night, determined to master the movements.

She twirled the polearm once. Bao-Dur finished meditating and stood up, circling around her to study his opponent. He had a way of looking at her when they were fighting that made her nervous. She knew he was studying her for some sign of weakness, but she didn't know how he was so accurate in pinpointing it each and every time.

She broke into a defensive stance.

"I thought we were practicing teras kasi," Bao-Dur commented, his eyes still firmly fixed on her.

"Would you like to?" Igrayne asked.

"No polearms. If we must, lightsabers."

"All right."

She had been wary of touching another lightsaber since leaving the Order, but Bao-Dur had pressed her. It was too soon.

Regardless, she drew out the weapon effortlessly and activated it, resuming her stance as she waited for Bao-Dur to do the same. His green blade ignited, springing to life with a hiss.

He executed a spinning move that caught her off guard. She moved with him, determined to avoid being singed by the fierce saber. What she lacked in lightsaber skills, she made up for in speed and agility. She ducked, allowing Bao-Dur's saber to glide over her head, just about missing her by a fraction of an inch. Igrayne flipped the saber fancily in her hand, rounding back for another attack. Bao-Dur's saber met hers in mid-air, and she pushed against him with all her might, determined to break the standstill.

Bao-Dur eventually fended her off.

"You're feeding too much off your anger," he said, "Do not let it control you. Try attacking me without it."

Igrayne closed her eyes to meditate, her lightsaber poised in the air before her. When she had centered herself again, releasing her negative thoughts, the fight resumed. All was looking extremely good. The fight was definately in her favor now.

She met his blow with a blow of her own, keeping her thoughts focused on her breathing, the pace of her heartbeat--anything to control her wayward thoughts. It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"Better," Bao-Dur said approvingly as they released their blades and circled each other again.

"I see what you mean," Igrayne admitted. She was glad that Vrook had permitted Bao-Dur to teach her despite the fact that the Jedi Master himself was to whom she had been apprenticed. She supposed perhaps he knew she and Bao-Dur were connected enough to feel each others' thoughts--and that connection was strong enough to keep her focused through the Force.

Igrayne tilted her chin up seductively, narrowing her eyes at Bao-Dur as she raised her lightsaber and delivered a roundhouse kick to his abdomen. Though the blow hit its mark, it barely had any effect on Bao. She heard a thump and a sharp intake of breath as he steeled himself against the blow then slowly stood up again. He was a little more determined this time.

Igrayne gritted her teeth and attempted another kick, but Bao-Dur anticipated her this time and used his leg to flip her off her feet and onto her back. Her head hit the floor with a resounding crack. Next thing she knew, the zabrak's face leaned in close to hers, checking for life signs.

"You okay?"

"I think so," Igrayne said, rubbing her head as she propped herself up on her elbows. "Boy, you really did a number on me."

"I was merely repaying you for the kick," Bao said with a hint of irony in his otherwise monotonous voice.

_It hardly affected him,_ Igrayne marveled. She had almost forgotten how strong Zabraks were--like well-oiled machines disciplined from the time they were very young. It showed in every aspect of his behavior.

"Let's take five," Igrayne said, strutting over to the opposite end of the room to pour herself a cool drink. She guzzled it down while Bao-Dur looked on. Zabraks didn't lose any of their body weight through perspiration, so it looked as if Bao-Dur had endured the workout without so much as breaking a sweat. Igrayne gazed at him over the rim of her glass.

"You're improving," he commented, sitting down beside her as she finished the drink.

"That's reassuring. For a while there, I thought I was a hopeless cause," Igrayne quipped. Bao-Dur's hand rested on his lightsaber hilt—a protective measure he had picked up while being tailed by Destrik and the Sith.

"Not so, General."

Igrayne tried to fan herself to keep cool. Her Jedi robes, normally light and airy, suddenly became stifling as they clung damply to her skin. She wondered if Bao-Dur noticed the blush the workout had excited in her cheeks, or if he had dismissed it as merely another human response to such things.

"At least Admiral Onasi's soldiers will be arriving shortly," Igrayne said, leaning back against the wall to regain her breath.

"Yes. Master Vrook will extend every courtesy to make sure they are welcome here."

"Sometimes I think he's a little two-faced for my liking," Igrayne replied quietly, hoping Vrook hadn't been watching them with a spycam.

"Master Vrook merely knows the merit of having the Republic _with_ him, not against him," Bao-Dur expressly stated, both arms clasped behind his back. She could see the blue glow from his energy arm through the periphery of her vision.

"To his credit, he's a smart man," Igrayne said, "Though I know he is conflicted about letting me stay here. Force knows it's awkward for me."

Her one hand traced the grooves in the wall.

"Yes, he has spoken to me of the...conflict inside of him," Bao-Dur said gently, "But do not mistake him--he is pleased to see you."

"I'm only doing this to help," Igrayne said, "I don't like the Jedi, but I like the Sith even less. I've taken an oath and sworn to protect and defend the Republic, and that is exactly what I will do--to the death, if need be."

A long pause punctuated the air. Igrayne watched Bao-Dur's gloved hand settle on her own, his fingers interlacing with hers. It was the most tender touch they had ever shared.

"I will protect you," Bao-Dur declared.

"After what happened?" Igrayne asked tentatively, afraid to broach the whole Dustil topic again for fear it might upset the zabrak. He was reasonably calm as he replied,

"That is in the past and holds no bearing on how I view you, General."

She hoped that was entirely true. She hoped he wasn't saying it primarily for her benefit, to make her feel better about being caught with her pants down—literally—with a Sith lord.

Bao-Dur's eyes were downcast, and he was suddenly silent and sullen. Igrayne used her balled fist to raise his chin, though he refused to look her in the eyes. He smelled intoxicating—it's what she imagined all Iridonians must smell like. Her nostrils flared in appreciation; she was suffused with it.

His hands circled her waist, drawing her close. She was suddenly aware just how flimsy her Jedi robes were. They didn't leave much to the imagination--though there wasn't much Bao-Dur hadn't seen now, either.

"Tai Shan," he whispered softly, his hand entangling in her hair as he bent to taste of her lips. Igrayne returned the kiss, her palm flattened against his chest. This time, it was her turn to stop him.

"Bao," she said, her eyes darting furtively around the room, "Not here...we can't."

In response to this, he merely kissed her savagely, as though wanting to erase all memory of Dustil's imprint from her mind. She knew the name he had called her by, _Tai Shan_, was an ancient, outmoded concept on Iridonia where two minds became one and intense physical pleasure became a religious experience, or ecstasy. She never knew that such carnal pleasures could bring a transcendence of self and body, but that was the joy of sharing Tai Shan with another. If she accepted his proposition, she would become bound with him forever.

Igrayne had never achieved this sublime state, though she was told she could reach it through ease and proficiency when she opened her mind to her lover at the point of climax. Using the Force to enhance her own personal pleasure seemed devastating, however. And if Master Vrook were to find them—they would both be severely reprimanded, or worse.

She didn't care any longer. It had been too long. She'd spent many lonely nights dreaming of the zabrak since then. She didn't care about the disparaging words Destrik had for her choice of a mate, or the fact that he had inquired as to whether or not she shared the same connection with Kevan—an implication that blew her mind.

All that mattered was Bao-Dur wanted her to pair with him in the custom of Tai Shan. She knew now that some of the attraction he'd first felt for her was due to his acute sense of smell in recognizing the compatibile pheromones secreted by her. That subtle scent and rapid attraction had obviously led him to believe that their pairing would be successful.

Normally, a Tai Shan courtship was rapid and violent, subtly mimicking the act of consensual rape. Once the female had submitted her will, that violence transmuted to a deep and abiding love. Igrayne was afraid of what might happen now that they were at that threshold, but she also knew that Bao-Dur would never intentionally hurt her.

Her hands began undressing him, though their movements weren't fast enough. She removed his Jedi robes and stared at him. The beautiful tattoos extended over every area of his body in long shapes and arcs, giving him the fierce beauty of a kath hound. His legs flexed and thrust forward as he braced against the wall. The tattoos even decorated these.

In their previous times together, she'd never had the chance to admire the ritualistic markings he'd had to undergo as part of his Zabrak heritage. They must have hurt tremendously, but she didn't think he was the kind to flinch or even make a sound when pained.

Her hands moved over his strong, toned thighs, exploring the direction of the tattoos. Bao-Dur gripped her under the buttocks, slipping her into his lap. She gazed into his black-rimmed eyes, running her hand through the crown of horns on his head.

He freed her of her robes in two quick movements and moved inside of her. His hips began working up a rhythm she struggled to compete with. She began bucking her own hips against his, forcing him to keep up with her pace. He held her so tight she thought he might crush her in his grip. She almost couldn't breathe.

Bao-Dur braced himself against the wall, groaning for her to consent to be his Tai Shan.

"Yes," Igrayne replied breathlessly, realizing that this was the last question he'd needed to ask for her to undertake the commitment. As custom dictated, the female was given the pretense of making the final decision, though it was the male who, in reality, held all the control.

It was over in a few brief minutes, and Igrayne was left feeling dizzy with joy. Her head and body were numb with all that had just happened. When Bao-Dur released her and she peeled her entwined limbs off from around him, she felt an incredible sense of peace overcome her. She bent to retrieve her torn cloak and wondered how she would explain this to Master Vrook...

Bao-Dur, meanwhile, was slipping on his own tunic as he watched her dress. She fixed her hair to make sure she didn't look a mess, then turned to him and said very softly,

"I will follow you forever."

She bowed her head slightly and turned around, heading for the door.

She assumed training was over, so she left to go seek out the others in their chambers and inquire as to how the battle plans were progressing, though she couldn't keep her mind from straying to Bao-Dur.


	35. Mical's Special Mission

A few days had passed since some of the crew landed on Dantooine, and it seemed like weeks. Since the bombing of Telos, nobody in the crew had any time to achieve peace, until now. Something about the golden fields and gentle breezes of the serene planet helped them attain a measure of calm, even as the storm of events continued to rage around them in the galaxy.

Carth filled his days with the training of the Republic soldiers. He made this his one and only immediate goal as he drowned the memories of his prodigal son and his concern for Rani in the intense nature of his task. Each day, he saw vast improvement in his troops, and these small everyday victories lifted his spirits.

Despite the suffering that he endured from Carina's fall to the dark side, Mical kept himself industrious. He offered up his services to the Republic soldiers training on Dantooine after the Jedi Council instructed him to do so. His work kept him busy, keeping the soldiers in top-notch health and tending to the minor injuries they sustained from the rigorous training. He and Carth often found themselves discussing the soldiers and training tactics. Both men took consolation in the other's presence. And although they never openly spoke about the sorely missing women in each of their lives, they both felt a connection because of it.

Evy continued with her Jedi training under Bastila. She had tried to avoid Atton for the most part, which wasn't hard, since these days he and Trentyn seemed almost inseparable. Although she had previously been irritated by this, she was now thankful that Atton had his friend to distract him from the brooding moods he often fell into. When she saw him in passing, her heart would leap out of her control, and she often struggled to suppress these feelings.

_Jedi are beyond such things; there are much greater things I must focus on,_ she told herself whenever she found her thoughts wandering to the scoundrel.

Her training with Bastila had been progressing in a satisfactory manner, but Evy still felt like she had not yet found her true talent with the Force. She was an all right fighter, and she was pretty good at manipulating the Force when she wasn't distracted, which, sadly, wasn't often. Bastila continued to reassure her however, saying that her true calling would manifest herself in time. Evy, surprisingly, was grateful to have Bastila as her mentor. She was a fair, patient, and kind teacher, and Evy wondered if Bastila was always like this, or if some change had taken place in the dark-haired Jedi.

After one particularly grueling training session with Bastila, Evy trudged to her private room in the Jedi Enclave. When she made it inside, she was so tired that she just fell into her bed, her sore muscles twanging with pain as her body hit the mattress.

Within seconds, she was fast asleep. Her state of exhaustion left her little energy to even attempt to control her dreams. Her subconscious was assaulted by dreams, visions of the past, present, and the possible future: Jeran dying in her arms; Atton strangling a fire-haired woman; Carina striding across a dusty plain with two robed men; Bao-Dur drawing Igrayne close to him with his arms around her waist; Indy and Han huddled together in a Force cage; Atton with a lightsaber, his lips drawn fiercely across his teeth; Merc being grilled by an enflamed Dustil; Rani, decked in a red gown, rubies adorning her neck, standing by the side of Destrik; Atton reaching out to touch her blonde locks; Mical on his knees, his hands and face raised to the sky; Trentyn carrying an unconscious Bastila; Carth and Rani locked in a passionate embrace; Atton chasing after her. The visions repeated themselves in her mind, and some were so heart-wrenching that she tried to wake herself, but it was in vain. It was the will of the Force that she should see such things…

Trentyn and Atton made their way toward the Jedi Enclave as the sun dipped down below the horizon. They had kept up the façade that they wasted their days away, playing Pazaak and drinking in the tiny cantina. In reality, they spent their time training, dueling with one another. Both men had the desire to kill the man that stripped them of their loved ones. Atton had buried the memory of Skylaer, he could barely even recall her face, but the effects of his involvement with her continued to echo through his soul. He no longer loved her, that abruptly ended when he murdered her for her lies and deceit, but the wound that she left on his heart was still not healed.

The men walked in companionable silence, until they spotted a far-away Bastila, meditating under a tree.

Tren stopped to speak to his friend, and Atton followed suit.

"Do you buy into all that Jedi crap, about emotions and passions being weaknesses?"

"Of course not, man. You're as good as dead without 'em," Atton replied, wondering where Tren was going in his line of questioning.

"I agree," Tren said, his gaze on Bastila's distant form.

Atton traced his gaze.

"Are you sure you want to go after _that_? There are much less bitchy targets," Atton said.

Trentyn let out an amused laugh, turning his attention toward his friend once more.

"There's something different about her, though," Tren said, with an introspective expression.

"Bastila may be one hot babe, but she's more trouble than she's worth," Atton said, hoping that his seemingly carefree friend wouldn't take on the challenge of Bastila.

"That doesn't stop you from going after Evy," Tren replied grinning.

Atton chortled. "Not that I have a chance anymore… she's training to be a Jedi."

"So? Jedi get laid too, you know," Tren said offhandedly.

"Yeah, well, your little schutta is always around her, so I can't even talk to her even if I wanted to," Atton explained.

Tren looked like he wanted to hit Atton for a second, but decided not to, and laughed it off instead.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that. You go find your blonde babe," Tren said mischievously as he strode towards Bastila.

Atton hesitated for a moment, and then came to the conclusion that now was as good a time as any to get some things off of his chest.

Trentyn finally made it to Bastila, and he squatted beside her silently. He placed his face close to hers, fully intending on seeing if he could break her concentration without speaking to her.

"What are you doing?" Bastila asked without moving or opening her eyes.

"Appreciating the surrounding beauty," Tren replied with a seductive note.

A flattering blush sprung to her cheeks as she changed her position to stare into her lap.

"You should not bother a Jedi when they center themselves," Bastila scolded, trying to change the subject.

Tren laughed. "Center themselves? What does that mean anyway?"

Bastila looked indignant, and began to explain, but then sensed that Tren was not listening to her anyway. He pulled up a fistful of the honey-colored grain and showered it over his lap. Bastila fell silent, surreptitiously attempting to sense his thoughts. She grazed his mind briefly, worried that he may sense what she was trying to do, and came away with a deep concern for his sister.

"You are thinking of Rani," she said, more of a statement than a question.

"And you are reading my thoughts," he replied in an equally even tone, although Bastila could tell that it displeased him.

"I must if I am ever to get the truth from you. All you do is play and joke around with that useless scoundrel," Bastila scowled, trying to justify her actions.

"Why don't you just ask me what I'm thinking?" Tren said, glancing at her.

"As if I'd ever get the truth," she replied.

Trentyn made an annoyed sound in his throat before continuing.

"You need to stop judging people you barely know," Tren said in an uncharacteristic seriousness.

Bastila felt immediately guilty. He was right, she did judge people a lot, and too quickly. She used to feel like she had the right to, like she was above the emotions and drives that characterized humanity. But now, with her startling and very real feelings for Tren growing every day, she realized what it felt to be truly conflicted, caught between vows and desires, control and impulse.

"What about you? How well do you really know Atton?" Bastila questioned Tren, her pride still too strong to allow him to see that he had struck a nerve.

"Enough to know that he's had a rough life, but he's turned away from his old self. He's no saint, but he is a changed man," Tren replied confidently. He and Atton had spoken quite a bit about their lives and the past.

"A changed man? He would betray us in a second if it was in his interest," Bastila charged.

"Oh, and what are you basing that on?" Tren said irately.

"He did betray Rani and Carth. He worked with assassins to ensure that they were captured. And that is when Destrik took advantage of her! Is that a changed man?!"

The words came tumbling out of Bastila's mouth, and she immediately regretted her lack of diplomacy. The look on Trentyn's face was murderous as he realized that Bastila was telling the truth. He stood up immediately, and strode purposefully toward the Enclave. Bastila jogged beside him to keep up with his long strides, and pleaded with him to calm down before confronting Atton, but it did little good.

------------

Atton knocked softly at Evy's door. He waited, but there was no answer. He thought about turning away, but was concerned for her. What if something was wrong with her? Instead, Atton tried the door, and surprisingly, he found it unlocked, and it swished open swiftly. He tentatively took a few steps into the room, letting his eyes adjust to the relative dimness.

Evy lay on the bed, still dressed in her padawan robes and she twitched slightly in her sleep. Atton sat on the bed next to her, caressing her cheek. She woke at the touch and stared at Atton with wide pale green eyes.

"Is it really you?" she said in a small voice.

"Of course, who else sneaks into your room?" he asked with mock suspicion.

Evy sat up slowly, wincing as her muscle aches returned.

"No, it's just I was having strange dreams…" she answered, looking disturbed

"It's okay, they're gone now, they are just dreams," Atton said reassuringly, desiring to take her into his arms, but holding back.

She swallowed heavily, "I think… I think these were visions, shown to me by the Force."

Atton just gaped at her.

One of the visions touched her memory.

"Did Skylaer have red hair?"

Atton's gape intensified as his jaw dropped even lower.

"How... How did you know that?" his voice was heavy.

Evy didn't have the heart to tell Atton that she had seen him murdering his former love in her visions.

"I saw her in my dreams."

Atton looked astonished.

"What else did you see?"

"A lot of things, with all of us, the entire crew. Nothing seemed especially informative though. It was like small glimpses into the past… and some… the future."

"My Force… this Jedi stuff is giving you psychic powers now?" he asked.

Evy shook her head. "I don't know… I guess we'll just have to see."

They were silent as both pondered the implications of Evy's visions. Her mind however began to drift, as it always did, toward Atton. She studied his handsome profile. They were not touching, but his proximity to her had effects on her mindset. She suddenly felt that being involved with Atton, no matter how much of a fool he was, did not seem so bad. In fact, it seemed like the most desirable thing to her at this point in time.

Atton turned to face her, aware of her stare.

"I am still the same person, you know," she said. She didn't know why she said it, only that it sounded like the right thing to say.

"I am not. I have changed. I have put Skylaer behind me now," Atton said, anxious to move on with his life.

"I believe you, Atton."

Evy leaned forward toward him, closing most of the distance between them, but stopping less than an inch from his face. She wanted him to come to her. And as much as she wished it wasn't true, she wanted him to love her. She knew that he said that he couldn't, but deep down she thought that she could be the one to heal his wounded heart.

Atton started gently kissing her, embracing her lips with his. His lips did not have the lingering tart taste of Juma, like they usually did. The eventual contact of his silken mouth with hers sent shocks of energy through her body, revitalizing her exhausted body and mind.

He moved to pull her closer, when Trentyn came treading into the room. Bastila's voice caused Evy to break the kiss.

"Tren, stop! Listen to me!"

Trentyn took no heed of Bastila as he advanced on the seated Atton, determination burning in his eyes.

"Tren? What happened? What's goi—"

Atton's questions were violently halted as Tren's wide fist connected with Atton's cheek. Evy squealed loudly as Atton covered his face, expecting more blows. There were no more.

"You betrayed my sister to Destrik?" Tren asked in a dangerous voice.

Atton uncovered his face, but still held his hands up in front of him. He did not wish to fight his friend.

"Answer me. Are you not the reason Rani suffered at Destrik's hands?" Tren was obviously exercising much restraint, and Evy was very grateful for it.

Atton dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Tren, I'm sorry. I barely knew her and I was trying to get revenge on Destrik… I knew she was his fiancée… I know, it was stupid."

Evy felt sorry for Atton. He truly did look repentant.

Trentyn left the room without another action or word. Bastila gave Evy a faintly disapproving glance, before heading out after Tren.

------------------

Carina, Phin, and Adan had been on Korriban for two days now, and still they had not spoken with Darth Malak. In order to keep busy, Phin continued to train his son and daughter. While Adan seemed disinterested and wasn't improving, Carina seized every morsel of information she could get from her father. She had made amazing progress in her training, and as she learned to use her power, her connections to the dark side of the Force grew.

Carina was getting antsy, however. It irritated her that they had not yet been able to meet with Malak. It almost seemed as if he were attempting to show her, her father, and her brother that they were of little importance.

_Just a little more training and my power will overshadow his,_ she thought arrogantly.

This day, as one of Malak's aids yet again informed them that he would not be available to meet with them, Carina got fed up. She instructed Phin and Adan to follow her as she began to leave their shared room in the Academy.

"And just where do you think you are leading us?" Phin asked in his parental tone.

"How can I kill Malak if we can't even get near him?" Carina asked.

"Shh! Don't you know that Lord Malak has eyes and ears everywhere here?" Phin said.

"Must you shame me by turning into a sniveling coward at the mention of his name?" Carina asked with disgust.

She didn't understand why her father had been acting so differently now that they were on Korriban. Before, he walked with an almost regal air, smug and authoritative. Now, he snuck around like a thief in the night, attempting to melt into the background as he tried to learn as much as he could about Malak and his efforts to build a force to rival the Republic.

"Carina!" Phin roared, "You must never forget that I am your father. You will follow my lead."

"Oh I see, so you get to tell me what to do, and I do all the hard work for you, is that how it is?" she asked petulantly.

"Carina, we all work together. We need each other. We are family after all," he said, appealing to her desire to belong.

"Fine, but I am not waiting any longer. Malak makes us wait merely to put us in our place! Well, I'll show him where his place is," Carina strode out of the room, followed by her excited brother and her angered father.

She jogged through the Academy, weaving through the multitudes that had arrived with Malak. She soon made it to the large audience chamber, striding unafraid past the line of Sith guards on either side of her.

Carina stopped, and searched the fairly crowded room for the face she had heard so much about. Her brother and father caught up to her, but said nothing as she concentrated on finding the leader of the Sith. She heard his voice before she saw him, deep and resonant, more frightening than she had imagined. She stared in the direction that she heard Malak's powerful voice from and saw his bald pate above that of a man that had his back to her.

Adan leaned near Carina whispering in her ear.

"Will you kill him now, Carina, with his elite guards protecting him and the best generals of the Sith surrounding him in council?"

Adan's statement was chiding, and Carina could sense the sibling rivalry between them deepening.

She answered him, using the Force, speaking directly into his mind.

_Oh dear brother, do not worry, I will kill him when the time is right. Father has entrusted me with this important task, and it will be I who will reap the rewards._

Her exchange with her brother had emboldened her, and she now walked toward Malak's group. She stood on the periphery of the circle, her hands positioned commandingly on her hips as she waited for the crowd to part and for her to get her first good look at the lord of the Sith.

------------------

Rani sat in her private quarters as she mulled over the events of the last couple days. Right now, they were in hyperspace, headed toward Korriban.

In the tomb, after Destrik had been resurrected, Dustil had called for a new ship to be transported to them. While they waited for the ship to arrive, Indy, Han, and Kevan were all bound and gagged by Dustil. The night they spent in that tomb was a long one. The three Sith held counsel all throughout the night.

Rani didn't sleep that night. Destrik and Freedon Nadd were too frightening for her. They had been "resurrected," but they were not men. To Rani, they seemed like evil souls inhabiting rotted bodies. She could stomach staring at Destrik, because his body barely suffered the effects of death. The horrible part about Destrik was the way he moved, it made it painfully obvious that his soul was foreign in the vessel of his body. Freedon Nadd, however, was a different story. He was bones, with thin, papery skin crinkled around whatever little flesh was left on the body. Rani couldn't look at him for long without retching.

That morning, the ship arrived, and a small detachment of Sith soldiers loyal to Destrik arrived to lead them to it. The group had stepped out into the Dxun jungle, her friends still gagged and bound on their wrists, and now heavily guarded by Sith. Rani, however, was left untouched, although it was understood between her and Destrik that she should stay close to his side.

Suddenly, the group was attacked by Mandalorians. Mandalore had sent them in retaliation for never having received the prisoner he was promised, Bao-Dur. The fight was short but ferocious, as the Mandalorians attacked them from all sides. The Sith soldiers fought, leaving Rani's friends unguarded and unarmed. Rani saw this, as she saw the lone Mandalorian creeping toward the prisoners.

Bao-Dur attempted to use his Force powers on the Mandalorian, knocking the soldier on his back. The force of the push sent the Mandalorian's helmet clattering across a tree root. As Indy tried to kick the soldier while he was down, he quickly regained his feet, and aimed his blaster right at Indy's chest. Rani had already moved toward her friends, picking a blaster off a slain Mandalorian on her way.

She didn't hesitate as she extended her arm and fired. The blaster bolt hit the Mandalorian squarely in the forehead, killing him instantly. Rani didn't have any time to stare at the blank eyes of the man she'd killed, because a droid strode through a break in the trees, holding dual blasters. The droid glanced down at the dead Mandalorian and made sure that all life signs were gone. The droid then promptly approached Rani, her arms still extended into the air holding the stolen blaster. Much to Rani's surprise, and those of her friends, the droid informed her that she was now his master, whatever that meant.

Rani had brushed the droid's statement away, just glad that he didn't kill her. Neither Dustil nor Destrik seemed too amused with the overly chatty droid, but Destrik decided that he may come in handy.

Rani's thoughts returned to the present as she viewed the powered-down droid that stood at her door. It was menacingly tall and a rust red color that Rani found unsettling. From what she had so far heard from the droid, he was an assassin droid, scarily blood-thirsty for a non-living being. She didn't like him much, but his presence was preferable to that of either of the Sith lords, so she allowed him to accompany her almost everywhere she went.

The droid must have sensed her observing him, because his sensor-holes lit up in a blood red glow as he turned to her.

"Gentle inquisition: Master, is there someone you would like me to kill?"

"No, I don't want you to kill anyone," Rani answered exasperatedly. This was at least the 20th time that he had asked her this very question.

"Prodding inquiry: What about Master's meatbag tormentor?"

"Destrik is not just any old meatbag, he's probably the most powerful Sith Lord alive, if you can call him living. He will destroy you if you attack him."

"Proud Statement: It is my duty to protect you, Master."

"Okay, droid, but your first duty is to listen to my commands!" Rani said irately.

"Indignant clarification: Master, I am not just any droid. I am HK-47, a one-of-a-kind assassin droid with many useful functions."

"Okay, _HK_, I didn't mean to offend you," Rani said rubbing her temples.

"Surprised observation: Master, I cannot retrieve in my memory banks an instance where any Master was sensitive to my feelings. Female meatbags must demonstrate more empathy than their male counterparts."

"You have never had a female master?" Rani asked, actually interested in the conversation. She had not been able to have a real conversation with someone in days. All of her friends were locked up in the prison hold of the ship or being tortured. In addition, none of the Sith soldiers aboard the ship would speak to her. She suspected that they were afraid of Destrik, and thus were scared of her.

"Explanation: Negative, my first master was a female, however since then, I have had no other female masters."

Rani was about to question HK further about his first master, but was interrupted by the sound of someone at her door. She jumped off of the chair she had been lounging in, and answered the door. Dustil stood there, not meeting her gaze.

"Yes, Dustil?" Rani said, wishing that he would speak to her more.

"Master Destrik requests your presence in his quarters," Dustil said in a monotone voice before he left as suddenly as he had arrived.

Rani had been relieved when she had been given her own private rooms in the ship. She did not know if she could handle being around Destrik for too long. She suspected that while his body was still incompletely restored, his human lusts were absent. Rani genuinely thanked the Force for that.

She quickly responded to Destrik's summons, HK following behind her. She thought about ordering him to stay in her room, but changed her mind. HK might be unsettling, but he was strangely kind to her, and she preferred his presence over that of her twisted fiancé.

Rani entered Destrik's quarters where he was alone. She was happy that Freedon Nadd wasn't present. She hated the sight of the specter. As she came before him, she bowed down slightly, bringing one knee down to the floor. Destrik's physical senses were pretty much useless to him, and he used the Force as his main source for information.

"Rani, I have sensed that you wish to speak to me," Destrik's voice was crackling, as if his throat was desert dry.

Rani kept her respectful stance although it was fear, not respect that rooted her there.

"I… I have a request," she said, her voice waveringly slightly.

"Speak it then," Destrik ordered.

Rani took a deep breath.

"My friends, they have completed the tasks. Indy retrieved the Book for you and now you have been brought back to life because of her actions. Please, let them go," Rani tried not to cry as the plead escaped her lips.

Destrik was silent, the only sound in the cold room was the slight mechanical whirring of HK's internal workings.

"They will be released, I have no use for them anymore, and they are too weak to be a threat. Your request is granted."

Rani thought she had never heard sweeter words as her heart rejoiced.

Destrik let out a deep resounding sigh, and Rani wondered if he even needed to breath in his current state.

"You are not finished, are you?" he questioned in his harsh voice.

"I wish… I wish to see my brother one last time…"

Her words hung in the air, as blatant as a bloodstain.

"…Before I pledge my life to you." Rani finished as an afterthought.

"You have become brave, my darling. Maybe you have changed, or maybe you are not yet aware of my power. Nevertheless, I grant your request, although it will not be without consequences."

Rani's initial happiness was replaced by cold fear. "Consequences?"

"My dear, once I am fully restored, and my body is whole once more, you will be expected to fulfill all of your responsibilities as my consort. Do you understand? _All_ your responsibilities…"

Rani knew what Destrik was demanding, and she nodded her assent anyway. The way she saw it, she would be expected to do that anyway, whether or not she got the chance to see her friends.

"I will ready myself to depart immediately," she replied, trying to block out the excitement she was feeling.

"I will have a small transport readied for you. We have several on the ship. You will take the droid with you," Destrik said, motioning at HK.

"Yes, thank you, Master Destrik," Rani had to choke out the title, but she hoped that he would not notice.

"One last thing," Destrik said, "if you do not return to me on Korriban within the week, I shall have to find you and drag you back to me myself. I will be fully restored by then, and you will receive heavy punishment. In addition, I will kill your brother and all those that you call your friends."

The calm manner in which Destrik said all of this chilled Rani to the bone, and she had no doubt that he would do just that.

Rani left the chamber, not wanting to look at Destrik's empty eyes. Her friends were brought out to her. Merc looked as if she had been thoroughly tortured with energy, but Indy, Han, and Kevan, on the other hand, looked okay. Rani quickly explained the situation to her friends. None looked to happy about Rani's deal with Destrik, but they were grateful for their freedom anyway.

Han piloted the ship, setting the coordinates for Dantooine. Indy sat in the copilot's chair. She didn't speak much, and Rani wondered if she was alright. Ever since she "died" in the tomb, she hadn't seemed the same. Merc was placed in the tiny sleeping chamber, so that she could rest before leaving Dantooine. Rani sat in the small back room with HK and Kevan. Kevan pulled out his comlink and radioed their friends. Mical answered the call, his voice sounding excited to hear them.

Rani leaned back, closing her eyes. She was going to see her friends again. She would be visiting Dantooine again where long-dead Sith lords didn't congregate. And Trentyn—she would be able to see her younger brother again. There he was, his ties now broken with the Sith, and now she was trapped within the convoluted web of Destrik, a powerful Sith Lord. Rani tried not to laugh at the irony.

And Carth… she would see Carth again, perhaps for the last time. Would she be able to say goodbye to him? Her bitter thoughts brought tears to her eyes. Why did the Force allow her to fall so in love with the Republic Admiral, if she was never meant to be by his side?

Sooner than anyone had expected, they made it to Dantooine and descended on the golden fields of the beautiful planet.

---------------------

Evy sat on the edge of Atton's bed, icing his new black eye. Tren had taken quite a swing at him, leaving a shiner that would probably last for a week or two. Atton was hyper-responsive and jittery when she tried to minister to him, so she merely settled for dabbing absentmindedly at the hollow of his cheek.

"I deserved that," Atton remarked smartly with a snicker to himself. Evy brushed a strand of hair back from his forehead, gazing into his eyes as she smiled. "Not every day a guy gets a good sucker punch."

"Yeah, I think you did."

"Oh, well, no need to agree with me on _everything_," Atton said defensively, obviously taking issue with the fact that Evy saw him more as a sinner than a saint.

"Well, you did say you were _always_ right, so who am I to argue?" Evy said in an innocent tone of voice.

"Cute. Do me a favor and just drop the innocent act. It's growing old."

"Whatever you say."

Evy stood up from the bed and carried a tray full of medical instruments over to a small table in the corner. The small module beside the table was mounted with a security cam that grazed the outside halls of the Enclave. In it, she could see students passing by, off to classes and training with the Jedi masters. Despite the threat of impending war, nobody was at all fazed by it.

Evy got another wet cloth with which to resume dabbing at Atton's black eye. When she next seated herself, however, the scoundrel looked like he was bowled over in pain. He elicited a few sharp groans that indicated his state of discomfort.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern, one hand resting on his hunched over back. She kept a safe distance, in case Atton needed to expunge any unsettling contents of his stomach.

"Yeah," Atton said in a choked voice. After noticing Evy's puzzled expression, the scoundrel made light of the situation. "Boy, Tren can really throw a punch. Remind me not to get on his bad side again."

"You really shouldn't joke about that. Rani and Carth were put in danger because of you," Evy said, setting aside the damp cloth. Atton made a grab for it regardless, and placed it up to his eye.

"Keep reminding me, why don't you? Damn Jedi..." he muttered under his breath.

Evy allowed her hand to work up a massaging motion on his back, trying to calm his nerves. The scoundrel looked as though he were enjoying the amount she fussed over him—he had a big, stupid grin on his face as he leaned back and laced both hands over his stomach.

"Don't be angry with me," Evy said, both palms flattened on her knees, which were tucked under the rest of her body.

"Angry? What makes you think I'm angry?"

"You look it."

Atton laughed as his eyes grazed up and down her body. "I don't know how things look to you right now, but things are looking pretty good to me."

"Stop that," Evy said tersely, tucking her hands under her armpits as she attempted to cover up her chest and break Atton's focal point.

"Stop what?"

"That," Evy said with a nod. Atton snickered, jerking his chin in her direction.

"Like you haven't dreamed about me before. C'mon. I'm a good-looking guy. Girl like you's got to have thought about me once or twice in a less-than-platonic way."

Evy's fair eyebrow lifted in surprise. She wasn't sure if she was offended that Atton had so openly accused her of ogling him, or flattered that he was openly declaring his interest in her.

"Sorry to squash your dreams, Atton, but my thoughts are strictly of the mundane variety. I am a Jedi, you know."

"Oh, yeah. Right. I remember now. Chaste. Pure," Atton said accusatorily, "Jedi...a life of denying the basic thing that makes you human."

"I wouldn't exactly call it that..."

"Call it what you want, sweets, but it's _you_ that's stopping yourself from admitting you have feelings for me. Not some damned Jedi Code or Jedi master."

"Well, now, wait just a minute," Evy said, standing to her feet to assure that she was in charge of the situation. She felt that charge slipping from her fingers every second that passed.

"Atton," Evy said through gritted teeth, her whole body shaking by now, "I am a Jedi. I can't have feelings for you. Even if I wanted to."

"Which you obviously _do_," Atton said, standing up to face her with his finger pointed toward her nose.

"Please stop acting so childish," Evy said in a huff, tapping her foot against the ground. "This bickering is getting us nowhere!"

"Yeah, you'd just love to stand here all day long and bicker with me, wouldn't you?" Atton asked. She hadn't noticed in the commotion that the scoundrel had closed the distance between the two of them and was now standing at an arm's length away. He was a whole head taller than her, so she had to strain her neck to look up at him.

"How...how did you know?" Evy whispered. Atton merely sneered in response, ambling over toward the door to palm the lock.

"It doesn't take a Jedi to figure that out," he rasped, about to leave the room when Evy called out a cautionary warning.

"Don't!"

Atton's head whipped around to watch her seat herself on the bed, both hands planted in her lap very properly.

"Don't leave me," she repeated in a smaller voice. Atton, having changed his mind, flipped the switch back into place to secure the lock and went over to sit beside Evy. When his weight eased onto the bed beside her, she could barely look at him.

Atton brushed a few stray hairs off her face, his palm gently grazing her skin. Evy shivered involuntarily at the unanticipated touch. His lips crushed hers, capturing her mouth, absorbing her essence into his very cells. Evy felt her body mechanically begin to react to the sensations that Atton was stirring within her. She pivoted the forward part of her torso toward him, winding her hand in a fistful of his hair.

Atton did the same, and they went tumbling down to the bed. His kiss became exploratory, his tongue circled and danced around hers with sweet, sudden movements. She was vaguely aware of something pressing into her abdomen as he pinned her down onto the bed, and she gave a sigh.

A swift, sharp knock broke the moment. Evy almost immediately sat up, looking incredibly guilty. Atton's hands pulled her back down, pinning her into place exactly where he wanted her.

"No interruptions," Atton said huskily, his face hidden in the soft flesh of her throat. She could feel his thumb skimming over the curve of her jaw, down her neck and across her collarbone.

"I agree," she said breathlessly, letting her own hands wander on their own exploration of Atton's body. He became more insistent, and the kiss became hard, savage—almost violent. She pushed him back firmly, shaking her head at him to indicate that they needed to slow their pace if they were going to enjoy this.

Atton complied—surprisingly. The fact that he had a glaring black eye didn't diminish her attraction to him in the least. If anything, if gave him a hardened, war-scarred look that she found all the more delectable.

She began tugging at his jacket for him to remove it quickly, which he did. The other articles of clothing he had off in a remarkable show of speed and agility. He kicked off his boots and stood up, the faint glow of Dantooine's moon kissing his naked body. Evy laid back in the bed and let her eyes sweep over him, devouring every aspect of his appearance.

He was tall and toned, with strong, muscular yet lithe thighs. The corrugated leanness of his flat abdomen made her want to reach forward and touch a hand to him. His hair-roughened skin and broad, muscled chest just begged for her to use her teeth to nip and tease him there.

She walked up to him, running her hands over the muscled planes of his back, feeling the delicate slope slip into a thin waist that was corded with muscle. She wouldn't have guessed Atton would be so fit, but it made sense given the amount of time he spent running around, exercising his fighting abilities. She wondered how his endurance would hold out in the hours to come...

Atton grabbed her tightly in his arms, gripping her gently. His smooth expanse of streamlined muscle and sinew tapered down to a taut, flat abdomen, and beneath that she could see that his rigid flesh was ready for her.

She raised her hands in the air, allowing him to slip her robes up and over her head. She kicked off her boots and slipped out of her pants, feeling bashful and exposed in front of her love. When she used both arms to try and cover up her nakedness, Atton merely peeled her hands away, cupping her face.

He gazed down at her smooth, alabaster skin, feasting on every inch of her body that was available to view. His hands came beneath her, picking her up as he walked over toward the bed and laid her down in the messed covers. Evy propped herself upon on the pillow and clutched Atton from behind. With a cry of pleasure, he buried himself deep inside of her, and their long dance to ecstasy began.

Breathless urgent gasps shook her as he eased himself into her with gentleness. Atton's irregular breathing was modulated by the slow, steady rhythm of his body. Evy pulled in a lungful of air as she felt herself begin to lose control and convulse.

Afterwards, they drowsed in love's sweet afterglow. Atton was doused in sweat and musk, as Evy held him to her bare chest and stroked his hair back sweetly from her forehead. She looked down into his eyes sorrowfully, sad that she had disobeyed her Jedi vow, but at the same time happy to have consummated her relationship with Atton. She didn't know for how long the happiness would last, but she knew she would forever remember the moment as the only time she had ever been truly happy.

She kissed his forehead and drowsed, lulled to sleep by the sound of Atton's shallow breathing.

-----------------------

In the wee hours of the morning, sunlight crept into the tiny living quarters that Evy occupied, and Atton was awakened from his peaceful slumber by the unwelcome brightness. The scoundrel squinted against the light as he winced slightly, feeling a tinge of pain in his black eye, but his discomfort was immediately forgotten as he shifted to see the sleeping form of Evy lying beside him. A slight smile played upon his lips as he noted that her arms were still wrapped tightly around him. His grin widened as his mind began to replay the events of the previous night and he observed her in silence for several moments

_She looks so peaceful while she's sleeping… almost like an angel…_ he thought to himself, as he toyed with a strand of her golden curls. _But when she's with me all hell breaks loose!_

Atton snickered at his own mental joke as he gently pried her arms off of him before lifting himself out of bed, making sure not to disturb Evy's sleep. He began dressing himself, lost in his thoughts as he pulled his pants back on, and an audible groan emitted from the bed. Atton immediately became attentive, whipping around to observe Evy once again.

The Jedi tossed and turned upon the bed, tangling herself in the light sheet that covered her naked body. Initially, Atton assumed that she was suffering from another disturbing dream, but upon closer inspection it seemed as if she were having an absolutely terrifying nightmare. Evy's face reflected pure agony as her convulsions worsened by the second and she began mumbling incoherently.

At a complete loss for what to do, Atton's brow creased in concern as he approached the bed. He reached out a hesitant hand to touch her, but immediately recoiled as Evy awoke with a start. She swiftly sat upright, breathing labouredly as sweat dripped down her pallid brow. Her gaze fell upon Atton as she brought a trembling hand to the worried scoundrel's cheek, and for a moment it seemed as if she could not distinguish between her dream world and reality.

"Are… you all right?" asked Atton hesitantly, as she continued to stare blankly at him. "You looked like you were having one hell of a nightmare…"

To Atton's surprise, tears sprung into Evy's eyes as her body was wracked with sobs.

"Aw c'mon sweets, there's no need to cry! Hey, everything's going to be all right…"

Atton pulled her close to him, cradling her gently against his bare chest as he attempted to calm her. In all honesty, he had no idea why she was suddenly overcome by such sadness… but he was confident in the fact that it had nothing to do with his performance the night before.

"Oh Force, it was so horrible…" sobbed Evy, finally able to mumble a few coherent words. "It felt so real!"

"Tell me about it, babe, what felt so real?" Atton asked, although he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

Evy pulled herself away from him slightly, staring at Atton with wide, watery eyes. Recalling the visions in her dreams was obviously difficult for her, because she hesitated for several moments before speaking.

"I… I saw _you_," she stammered.

Atton offered her a wan smile, attempting to make light of the situation. "Well, I saw you in my dreams too, but I'm not complaining…"

Evy shook her head, looking deeply troubled. "No, it wasn't like that… you don't understand."

"Then make me understand."

"I'm not sure that I want to," she said, turning her gaze away from him. "It's too painful… I can't."

Atton cupped her face in his hands, gently directing her to look into his eyes.

"You can tell me anything," he said sincerely, as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "Don't be afraid. Tell me what's on your mind and maybe I can help you."

Evy seemed to struggle with herself for a few moments as a tense silence fell between them. She took a deep breath, apparently trying to calm herself before speaking again.

"Atton," she said quietly, as she choked on a sob. "I saw you die."

Her eyes widened in fear before she once again began to sob into Atton's shoulder, and she failed to notice the stunned expression upon the scoundrel's face. Once he had regained his composure, he resumed comforting her to the best of his ability.

"Hey, it was only a dream… I'm here now and that's all that matters, right?" Atton maintained a confident tone, although something about her vision had deeply disturbed him.

"But what if it wasn't a dream?" asked Evy frantically. "It felt so real… like I was right there watching it happen. What if it was a vision? Or a glimpse into the future?" Her voice became hardly a whisper as she finished stating her numerous doubts. "What if I lose you like I've lost Jeran?"

Atton grasped her arms firmly, holding her a shoulder's length away from him as he looked at her sternly.

"Hey, don't say things like that. You are _not_ going to lose me, all right? We're both going to live to see the end of this war, got it?"

Evy nodded weakly, although she didn't look completely convinced. Atton once again pulled her close to him. After a few more minutes passed, she finally seemed to calm herself as her sobbing was reduced to a mere sniffle. Atton tipped her chin up as he planted a kiss upon her forehead, earning a feeble smile from her.

"There, that's my girl," he said happily, before he resumed getting dressed. After he was fully clothed again, Atton made his way to the door, receiving a confused glance from Evy.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to take care of a few things. You look tired, sweets. These dreams of yours are really wearing you out. Maybe you should get some rest before you decide to head back to your Jedi training."

A renewed sense of dread immediately filled Evy's mind as her thoughts centered upon Bastila and her imminent confrontation with the young Jedi. Evy had no doubt that she would surely disapprove of her current relationship with Atton and she was not anticipating the results that her encounter with him would bring. Bastila would probably cease to train her, and her hopes of becoming a full-fledged Jedi would be extinguished, along with her promise to her dead lover, Jeran. She would fail everyone… Jeran, Bastila, the Jedi order, and above all, herself… but for what? Her head was swimming and she silently wondered if this was how Jeran had felt all those years ago when he had risked everything just to be near her…

Atton's voice suddenly broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.

"I'll be back later," he said. "Oh, and don't worry about the stuck-up little schutta of a Jedi… who cares what she thinks, anyway? We had more fun last night than she'll ever have in a lifetime…"

He flashed her a grin as he winked rather suggestively as her, and he exited the room, locking the door behind him. Evy couldn't help but smile as she collapsed back onto the bed, allowing her thoughts to center on Atton and the amazing night that she had spent with him. She was aware of the fact that her dreams could very well be squashed over the course of the next few hours due to her reckless behavior, and yet, things didn't look so bad.

_I may never be a Jedi, or a great warrior, or a vital asset to the impending war…_ she thought to herself. _But I'm a woman in love, and that's got to count for something._

Although she was happier than she had been in years and eternally grateful to have Atton by her side, Evy mentally readied herself for the meeting with Bastila that was sure to come. A long lecture was to be expected, and as much as she dreaded the encounter, she secretly hoped that the Jedi would have some useful advice to offer her regarding her strange and disturbing visions…

-----------------------

The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon when Han landed the small Sith transport near the new Republic training grounds. Kevan had commed ahead to Mical when they entered the atmosphere of Dantooine, so Mical, Igrayne, and Bao-Dur had been expectantly awaiting their arrival.

Once the ship was powered down, Kevan exited first with Merc, helping her walk down the ramp. The young woman looked weak and malnourished. Mical immediately followed them towards the medical facility of the Enclave.

Rani and Indy were the next to exit the ship. Both women had changed, but in very different ways. Rani looked stronger and more self-assured. She walked straighter and with the easy grace of a dancer. She had finally put on some weight, and it looked good on her. Her womanly curves had returned with a vengeance, and Igrayne almost didn't recognize the once timid and clumsy woman.

Indy on the other hand, looked more solemn than Igrayne had ever seen her. Indy had always seemed a bit cynical, but now her demeanor was downright glum. Her eyes that once danced with a fiery attitude, now seemed distant and dull. She looked as if her soul had been torn from her body, and then returned hastily, which is exactly what had happened to her.

"What happened to Mercedes?" Bao-Dur asked the two returning women, while Igrayne recovered from the surprise of seeing how much her two companions had changed.

"He tortured her," Indy said hollowly. Her eyes were trained on Bao-Dur, but it didn't seem like she was really looking at him.

"Why?" Igrayne asked with horror, assuming that "he" referred to Destrik.

"She is a Force-user, and from what I heard, a damn good one too," Rani answered, her voice clear and resonant, "because of herneutrality, I bet he wanted to turn her."

"Excited declaration: Master, I have never been to this planet."

Igrayne backed up a few steps as the tall and menacing droid exited the ship. Bao placed a comforting hand around her waist, and she appreciated the gesture. The cementing of their relationship seemed to bring out a more demonstrative side in the Zabrak.

"What is _that_?" Igrayne asked as she realized the droid was addressing Rani.

Rani explained how she'd acquired HK and filled them in about what all had transpired on Dxun, as they walked to the Jedi Enclave.

"The Jedi council will want to hear about this, and about Carina," Bao-Dur said softly after Rani had finished her story.

"Yes, well, I can tell them what I know, but Indy really should tell them all about the books since she's the expert," Rani offered.

Igrayne looked worriedly at Indy. She hadn't said a word or changed her expression since the transport had landed.

"Why don't you both rest today?" Igrayne said, concerned for her friend. "And then later on tonight you both can meet with the Council."

Bao-Dur simply nodded in agreement. Indy entered the room that Igrayne showed her that she could stay in, and Igrayne did the same for Rani.

"Thanks, Igrayne, but I don't think I'm going to sleep," Rani said, looking around the small but comfortable room.

"Is everything okay?" Igrayne asked.

"Yeah, I just don't feel like sleeping," Rani said, while warily watching HK survey the room.

"So, where is everyone else?" Rani asked trying to sound casual, but Igrayne could tell that Carth and Tren's absence from the small welcoming party disappointed Rani.

"Well, I tried Evy's room, but she didn't answer," Igrayne began, "I couldn't find Atton, Tren, or Bastila, and Carth was sleeping, and one of his soldiers didn't think it was a good idea to wake him."

Rani nodded her understanding, before ordering HK to power-down and stay put in her room.

Igrayne hurried off to start her daily training with Bao. Merc and was being treated by Mical before leaving the planet, and Han slipped into Indy's room hoping that he could finally have a private conversation with her.

Rani needed to take a walk and clear her mind. She ambled over to the Republic training area. She was impressed by how fast they'd built up the training stations, barracks, mess hall, and various other small admin buildings. The buildings were obviously not made to withstand the test of time, but they did a great job fulfilling their purposes.

Rani soon found herself at the shooting range. The sun was fully above the horizon now, and the sky of Dantooine glowed a pleasing pinkish-orange color. With the breaking of dawn, the Republic soldiers began to awake, and a few walked in the fields towards the mess hall. Rani ignored them as she lifted a small blaster, aiming it at the dummy.

The memory of how she shot and killed the Mandolorian revisited Rani as she squinted her eyes in concentration. Her father, who had been a Republic soldier himself, had taught Rani how to aim and shoot using the almost-harmless kiddie blaster he'd gifted her. She laughed softly as she remembered how angry Trentyn had been when their father had told him that only Rani was old enough to learn. He had demonstrated quite an impressive temper tantrum, his still-chubby cheeks turning bright crimson. Tren was just five years old then, and she ten. The following year, their parents had died.

"Need some help there, Ma'am?" a masculine voice broke Rani's reverie.

Rani lowered the blaster before turning around to face the man that had addressed her.

"Please don't call me Ma'am, it makes me feel old," Rani replied. She was twenty-seven years old, but sometimes Trentyn made her feel older.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Miss," the man said, smiling as his eyes alighted on her face.

"That's all right," she said, suddenly aware that the young man found her appealing.

Silence fell between them, the young man staring into Rani's face, while she casually avoided his gaze, looking at the sunrise instead.

"So, would you like me to train you with a blaster?" the soldier asked her with a flirting undertone.

Rani almost said no, until she realized that with the impending war, she could stand to know how to use a blaster. She figured that when she killed the Mandalorian, it had been pure luck.

"Are you sure the Admiral would be okay with that?" Rani asked, thinking of Carth.

"Oh sure, the Admiral and I are on good terms," the young man replied arrogantly. "Besides, what the Admiral doesn't know can't hurt him," he finished while winking.

Rani laughed courteously, realizing just how wrong the young soldier was in his assumption about Carth.

She allowed the young man to begin to teach her the basics of aiming.

---------------

Bastila awoke suddenly, the brightness of the rising sun shining in her face. She immediately bounded to her feet. Had she really spent the entire night in the plains with Trentyn?

Trentyn was already awake, standing and leaning against the tree that they had slumbered under. He watched the sunrise silently, a serious expression on his face.

Bastila tried not to garner the man's attention as she hoped that no one in the Enclave had noticed her absence throughout the night. Nothing inappropriate had happened, she had just followed him this spot, and tried to calm him. They had talked well into the night, and she couldn't even remember falling asleep. She straightened out her robes and attempted to fix her rumpled hair.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Tren said, not looking away from the scene.

"Yes, it is," Bastila replied, not sure of how to act.

"So, is your boyfriend going to be upset that you stayed out all night?" Tren asked, his usual smiling expression firmly back into place.

"Boyfriend? I don't understand," Bastila said, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Don't play the innocent Jedi, Bastila, I've seen the way Vrook looks at you," Tren said, his eyes slightly darkening.

"Well, I _never_…" Bastila was flabbergasted. How could he think something like that? Did others think it too?

"Spare me the act," Tren replied dismissively, "I always knew you Jedi were closet freaks."

"Vrook is like an older brother to me, a father even. How dare you imply something like that? We're not all as free as you are!"

"Hey! At least I don't hide who I am! You Jedi are always denying your feelings, trying to play some superhero role!" Tren shot back, his words burning with heat.

"That's not true, I don't deny my feelings. I just know how to conduct myself, unlike you!"

"Right, so kissing a Sith is acceptable conduct to the Jedi?" Tren asked with an infuriating smile.

Bastila blushed. She had hoped that Tren had been too drunk to remember that she had responded when he had kissed her.

"So the truth comes out," Tren said victoriously.

"Oh, stop flattering yourself," Bastila replied now recovered from her embarrassment, "that was a one time slip on my part. Trust me, it won't happen again."

"Yeah, right," Tren said sarcastically. He immediately grasped Bastila around her slim waist, and pulled her roughly towards him, planting his full, soft lips on hers. They kissed intensely for several moments before Bastila pushed him forcefully away.

"Don't ever do that again," she warned, her words a complete opposite signal from the one her tongue was just sending to Tren.

"Whatever, you liked it," Tren replied, running his hand over his mouth.

Bastila slapped him, hard, squarely on the cheek.

Trentyn responded, by grabbing Bastila again, pinning her between him and the tree. He kissed her, interlocking his fingers with hers. She responded back just as strongly as he touched her, arching her back to press her body more firmly against his. She had never met a man that had such an impact on her. One second, she was infuriated beyond reckoning, and the next, she was ready to give up her life's dream for his embrace. Their kissing session lasted awhile, both growing more and more enflamed for one another until Tren finally pulled himself away.

Bastila stared at him confused. Why did he pull away?

"I'm not going to let you blame me for ruining it for you, _Jedi_," Trentyn said before leaving.

----------------

Carth left the medical facility of the Enclave, deep in thought. He had visited Mical there to see if Rani and the others had returned. Mical had been treating Merc, so Carth knew that Rani was on Dantooine. He rubbed his stubbly chin as he wondered why Rani hadn't come to him when she returned. The last time they had spoken privately, was before the crew had allowed themselves to be captured by Destrik. That conversation hadn't gone well, as Rani had accused him of not having real feelings for her.

Her words had bothered him. He hadn't had much time to give his attraction to the woman much thought, but he was more than certain that it had nothing to do with her few shallow similarities to Morgana. There was something more to the draw he felt for Rani, and he just didn't know how to express it.

The Admiral walked out to the training grounds, to supervise, as he usually did. The shooting range drew his attention, as a significant group of young soldiers surrounded a single station, apparently watching one person in particular practice.

Carth made his way over to the group, curious to see which of his soldiers had such good aim. The dummy at the station had been hit, right on target, numerous times. His soldiers parted, allowing their commander to pass. His eyes finally alighted on the shooter. Her back was turned away from him as she aimed at the dummy, letting off several shots that made a perfect circular pattern on the dummy's chest. His soldiers cheered loudly and talked excitedly about the stunning woman with the remarkable aim.

The Admiral stifled his envy as he saw one of his soldiers, an especially arrogant one, place his arm around Rani's petite waist, his hand resting on her curvaceous hip, as he congratulated her. Rani turned and Carth could see the excitement in her eyes.

The small crowd fell silent as they noticed the Admiral's stiff stance. Many of them came to attention at the sight of their commander. Rani finally turned to Carth. They locked eyes, and Carth could see that hers exuded a warmth and confidence that wasn't quite visible before.

"Hi, Carth," Rani said, smiling lovingly at the Admiral. As the young soldier beside her saw the indicative look exchanged between his commander and the woman he was flirting with, he started inching away into the crowd.

Carth ignored the previously cocky soldier and addressed the entire group.

"Men, training is not cancelled today, make your way to your respective stations," he ordered authoritatively, wanting to speak to Rani more privately.

"Nice shot," Carth commented with a smile. She was not as unskilled as either of them had previously thought.

Rani smiled, and Carth took her hand tenderly in his, leading her to his private room in the officer's quarters.

"Shouldn't you be training them or something?" Rani asked in a gentle tone. She didn't want to interfere with such an important task.

"They can make do without me for a bit," Admiral Onasi answered, "and I'm not the only officer out there."

Rani was silent the rest of the way, just content to be beside the man she loved.

Once inside his room, with the door closed, Carth pulled her towards him. Something about her had changed, and this had just made her all the more attractive to him. He kissed her solidly, hoping that his lips would convey what his words couldn't. Rani enjoyed the kiss, holding on to amazing feel of him that gave her so much strength.

"There's much we need to talk about," Carth said softly.

Rani giggled, "later," she said as she tasted his lips again.

----------------------

In the morning, Rani rolled out of bed and went for a quick dip in the sonic-powered shower of her 'fresher. As expected, Carth had been called away from her once again to attend some errant Republic trainees who'd gotten into some mischief over the course of the night. The matter needed his full attention, so Rani said nothing as he donned his jacket and walked out of the door in haste. It was at that point she had activated HK-47 as a sentry droid, though he complained bitterly at being given such menial labor as opposed to a more honorable task—such as killing an undeserving meatbag or two. Carth being one of them.

That was when she had powered him down.

She'd hardly slept all night. Her mind was filled with conflicted thoughts: of Carth, of Destrik, and of the looming meeting with the Jedi Council that was about to take place at sun-up. She and Indy had elected to go and explain the whole story. Sans the part about her agreement with Destrik, of course. That wasn't something the Council needed to know.

Rani scrubbed her wet hair dry with a towel and set about dressing quickly. It wasn't wise to keep the Council waiting, or so Mical kept reminding her. The doctor had insisted on accompanying them both to the Council, though Rani suspected it had less to do with his concern for either her or Indy, and more to do with his loss of Carina to the dark side.

A quick knock brought her sharply to her senses. She answered the door, greeting Mical with a slight wave before following him down the halls of the Enclave to pick up Indy. At their next stop, a very tired-looking Indy answered the door, her hair rumpled and her clothes in disarray. Rani peered over her shoulder and saw Han lacing up his boots, a pair of Corellian bloodstripe pants clinging nicely to his fit frame. Obviously, Indy had been interrupted.

"You ready?" Rani inquired as Indy threw on a short flight jacket and tugged it into place.

"Let's do this."

The trio walked down the hallway and stopped before the entrance to the Enclave. Without knocking, Vrook's sharp voice greeted them with a solemn, "Enter."

The doors powered open, admitting them into the dusky chamber. The light of Dantooine's sun was barely up, but it cast foreboding shadows across each of the three Jedi masters. The other nine seats were left empty, presumably for the nine other masters who were, at this moment, mustering Republic forces from all corners of the galaxy. Vrook and Vandar stood up as the threesome entered and bowed.

After receiving a full report on all the party's doings, Vrook took some time to mull over all that Rani and Indy had said. He nodded thoughtfully and dismissed them, ordering for Mical to stay behind on one bended knee.

After the two women left, Mical's eyes scrunched up. His throat ran dry. He wondered if he was going to receive another lecture from Master Vrook about letting Carina out of his sight...

"There was no reason for you to come along, so I expect you to tell me what that reason is," Vrook said expectantly, both arms crossed over his chest as he looked down his nose at Mical. The young man twitched beneath his gaze, both fingers interlaced over one knee. He didn't know if he should stand or remain bowing. He chose to stand.

"It's Carina," he said.

"Naturally," was Vrook's reply. To Mical's surprise, he didn't seem particularly fazed by this news. It was as if he were expecting it.

"She has been turned to the dark side by..." Mical took a deep breath and licked his lips, preparing his response. "Her father and brother. Phin and Adan."

"I know."

Vrook walked wearily to one side of the room, ignoring Mical's incredulity.

"They were both believed to be dead..." the doctor continued.

"That I also know," Vrook said snappishly, gazing over his left shoulder at the alert man beside him. "And I feared that this day would come. That is why I kept the knowledge of their living a secret from her...and from you."

"You lied to us, Master Vrook?" Mical asked, sounding very hurt. Vrook's old, gray eyebrows knotted at the center of his forehead.

"I protected you from the truth, knowing full well the implications it might have on Carina's future."

"But it turned her, all the same."

"I had to take my chances. It was a gamble with fate, you see—one I was willing to take. Carina was traumatized by the situation with her family, and that translated to a deep hatred for the Jedi Council. I knew of the power her father and brother had, of how close she had come to abandoning the Order the first time around. If I had allowed her the use of that information, she might have sought them out and fulfilled the very thing I fought against..."

"So you fought to preserve the Order, _not_ Carina," Mical said in understanding.

"I will not let this Republic, which has stood for a thousand years, be torn into pieces," Vrook said adamantly, ignoring the accusatory words Mical flung at him.

Vandar intervened, waving a tiny green claw at the two to keep them from speaking.

"We must be pragmatic about this," the creature said, looking up at Vrook. "Let me."

Vrook nodded his approval, stepping to one side to relinquish the floor to the little creature. Vandar hobbled forward, balancing his weight on his gimer stick as he looked up at Mical. When he first entered the Order, he had been so bright-eyed, so filled with wonder, with promise... Now, he barely resembled that youth. He looked like a broken shell of a man who had once been in love with what was now a ghost.

"Master Vandar, with all due respect," Mical said humbly, his voice trembling with agitation. He didn't know how much longer he could contain his fear and trepidation. "I must be allowed to seek out Carina. Will the Jedi Council give me this errand? I know she will listen to me. There is still good in her; I have felt it. She _can_ be turned."

Vandar closed his eyes and released a sigh that wracked his tiny frame.

"I'm afraid it is too late for her. Now, as we speak, she is surrendering control to the dark forces. She and her family are plotting an insurrection against Malak. The Force is screaming it."

"Then perhaps we should let her eliminate one enemy for us," Mical said desperately. "Only don't kill her. Let her do what she wants, then send me. I will gladly die for her."

Vrook unfolded his arms and strode over into the light to reveal a puzzled expression on his face.

"For what? For love? Waste of an emotion that it is. It will use and consume you, Mical, as it has others before you. Were you not warned against it in your teachings? I see now what your disobedience has wrought."

Mical punched his fist against his leg, for lack of anything better to do. He wanted to drive his point home. This time, he would not stand down. Deferring to the Council's judgment was something he had done all his life. Now he wanted to take back control.

"Perhaps it isn't unreasonable to grant him this request?" Vandar asked, staring up at the conflicted expression of the other Jedi master.

"No, it is too dangerous. The boy knows too much. They may inflict torture on him..."

"My heart and my mind are strong in the Force. I will not cave under any amount of pressure," Mical said with determination.

"Very well," Vandar replied, his hands clasped together before him. "But I want Malak alive. He has crimes to answer for, and I will see him brought to justice. Once you have him, contact us using this."

Vrook handed him a small comlink, which he quickly pocketed it.

"You are dismissed."

Mical turned around, striding toward the door. Another word from Vrook halted him in his tracks.

"And Mical..."

"Yes, Master?"

The young doctor flipped around eagerly, one hand cruising through his floppy hair to tame it.

"If the negotiations with Carina fail, you must _terminate_ her."

Mical stood, his mouth agape at what the other man had just proposed.

"Do you understand this?"

"Yes, Master."

"Will you obey the Council's request, despite whatever feelings you may have for her?"

"Yes, Master."

Mical turned and walked steadily out of the room, trying to contain the rushing emotions from completely overwhelming him. At that moment, he would have liked nothing better than to curl up in a small alcove and weep for Carina's loss and their impending showdown.


	36. Enter Mithic

One of Destrik's Sith troopers held a lighted glowstick as the small party crept through the tomb which, prior to now, had remained sealed for many years in the Valley of the Dark Lords. The tomb was filled with a pungent smell of dusk and must—perhaps an after-effect of the rotting corpses it housed.

Destrik was growing steadily more whole in body with each day that passed, and closer to achieving his goal of seizing the Republic for his own use. Korriban was an unforgiving planet with an inhospitable climate that seemed to hinder rather than help his long climb to restoration. Freedon Nadd, still in his specter form, floated easily beside him, gliding through different walls of the tomb to scout for any traps that lay ahead. When he gave the signal that it was clear to proceed, Destrik commanded his troopers to follow in his stead as he held the Book of Life in his sweaty palms.

They came to a small sepulcher at the center of the tomb, upon which a stone effigy was carved in the likeness of Marka Ragnos. Destrik closed his eyes and uttered the words, watching the tomb burst apart from some bottled up force inside. An eerie glow flooded the dimly-lit tomb as the figure, similar in form to Freedon Nadd, appeared at the foot of the tomb.

"Why have you wakened me?" the creature inquired peevishly.

"The Republic will fall. The Sith will rise again. Will you join us, brother?" Freedon Nadd asked, hissing.

The creature looked angry at having been woken from his solitude, but he uttered his assent as the three walked from the tomb across the Valley of Dark Lords to the nearby tombs of Ajunta Pall, Naga Sadow, and Tulak Hord. In the blinding light, the pallor of Destrik's skin was almost startling compared to the rosy complexions of the Sith students standing at the excavation. A few of them fled at the sight of Destrik, others merely stood by, watching him mutely.

When one boy attempted to speak, Destrik waved a hand at his throat, forcing his neck to convulse and his face to turn red with the bursting of blood vessels. His throat released, the boy crumpled down lifelessly, hitting the sand. The other students fled, terrified by what they had just seen.

Destrik continued his purposeful stride toward the other tombs. Though Freedon Nadd and Marka Ragnos weren't visible in full light, he knew it was their presence he felt at his side, steadily guiding him toward his mark.

-------------------------

Carina, Phin, and Adan entered the Sith mess hall, which had been systematically emptied of its contents in preparation for Malak's brief visit to Korriban. He operated mainly out of his star destroyer, which hovered close to the planet's surface with a handful of his strongest pilots and henchmen. Malak had seated himself comfortably at the head of the mess hall where Uthar Wynn usually sat. The Sith master now stood to one side, both hands folded over his chest. Yuthura Ban was next to him, her lekku curled sinuously over her shoulders, an expression of wonder upon her pretty features.

Carina was the only one who didn't bow as they came before Malak. So this was the Sith who planned to rule the galaxy? The man was pitiful looking, his tattooed head and metallic jaw a distant reminder of the war wounds he'd suffered in some long-forgotten, glorious battle.

"I am pleased that you both answered my summons," Malak said to the two men kneeling beneath him, "Especially given the fact that your loyalties have proven to be somewhat...flexible...in the past."

"I can assure you, my lord, that I am wholly devoted to you, as are my children," Phin said firmly, his voice resounding through the hollow hall. Malak's gaze turned on Carina. She could almost sense a smile from him, though he didn't have any jaw muscles with which to accomplish that.

"Are they?" Malak asked, stroking Carina's hair. Carina Force slapped the Sith lord back merely using her mind. Malak was surprised, to say the least, by her power.

"I must say, Carina, I'm impressed. The last time I saw you, you were barely fending off an attack from your beloved family. I am pleased to see your powers have grown. You will make a nice addition to my growing hoard of followers."

"Don't count on it," Carina said through gritted teeth, her eyes glowing red as she felt the power begin to overtake her. She was about to raise a hand to him, when Malak cautioned her,

"Don't. I am expecting another arrival soon. Destrik and his troopers are due for a little visit. Then I will show him the full fury of the Sith. And you will be a witness to the power that is the dark side!"

He clenched his gloved fist in a show of strength at this sudden pronouncement. Carina watched as Malak turned and, before Phin and Adan could activate their lightsabers, picked them up by the throat, unleashing a painful, agonizing death on the both of them. Carina watched as their eyes bulged briefly before they lost oxygen to their brain and crumpled to the ground. There wasn't even blood.

Malak turned to her, circling her to have a look at her full body.

"Come and stand next to me, my new apprentice."

"Why did you do that?" Carina asked, looking at the two dead, discarded bodies.

"I had no need for them. They were holding you back from reaching your full potential. You object?" Malak inquired.

"Only because I wanted to kill them myself!" Carina said furiously, the rage hot on her breath.

"Good," Malak said, closing his eyes, "Your anger is powerful. It feeds you. I will not restrain you. Come stand beside me."

"No."

Carina activated her lightsaber, spacing her feet at an equal distance as she got into the proper form.

"This ends now."

"Foolish girl," Malak roared, his metallic laughter ringing through the hall, "I offered you the galaxy! Now you will see what it means to be broken."

With one backhand, she went flying across the room, crashing into the wall. Uthar Wynn and Yuthura Ban, who were witnessing the scene, tried to flee from the room.

"Going somewhere?" Malak asked, levitating them across the room to land before him. He guiltlessly dispatched with them using his red-bladed lightsaber. Meanwhile, Carina was getting up for another round. She was just getting started. She knew Destrik and his cronies would be entering any time soon. The more, the better.

Malak would be dead by then. He was scared of her. She knew it. And so did Malak.

-----------------

Mical held his breath as the tiny vessel approached the atmosphere of Korriban. The red planet was covered with one enormous dust cloud, masking visibility. He couldn't see anything as he descended to the surface below, but he relied heavily on the ship's instruments to prevent him from making one catatonic mistake.

He worked with expediency to land the ship and unseal the hatch. Before exiting the tiny quarters however, he closed his eye and released a breath he had been holding from about a mile above the planet's atmosphere. He tried to clear his mind and draw on the Force, but he was distracted by thoughts of Carina torturing and subduing innocent lives. He knew he would lay down his life for her, but would it be enough?

Mical moved to his knees for a brief moment of meditation. A pause in the normal workings of the ship's systems told him that the ship was powering off. He began focusing on his breathing and on steadying his wayward thoughts, which were completely absorbed by Carina. He needed to strengthen himself against a mental attack, should one be launched at him.

Mical got up, clipping his lightsaber to his utility belt in case it should come to the use of force. He hoped things would progress as quickly and painlessly as possible, though that thought held little comfort to him. He knew one of them would not walk out of this alive.

_Terminate her_, the Jedi Council had ordered him. How could he terminate her with the history they shared? That same history, ripe and rich with fond memories, now threatened to sway him from doing the Council's bidding. He had agreed to do just that, and for once, he was determined to abide by their wishes.

Mical exited the tiny ship and walked through the surmounting dust cloud up a tiny path that wove between outcroppings of rock. On the cliff ahead, he could see the path rise to a steep promontory, upon which sat the Korriban Academy. Just being here gave him a cold, chilling sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew that every belief he had would be tested simply by entering the Sith stronghold. He wondered if he was strong enough to overcome the temptations already stirring in his brain that told him merely to take Carina with him to some faraway place where they could live alone, unhindered by moral codes or councils who didn't know the true meaning of love...

Mical steeled his resolve, heading straight for the Academy.

--------------------------

"If you're trying to impress me, you're doing a lousy job of it," Carina sniffed, gazing without a trace of remorse at the two lifeless corpses dispatched at her feet. Malak continued to pace around the room, his footsteps very still and silent.

"Impressing you, dear Carina, was not what I had in mind. Breaking you is more of what I was trying to do."

"Well, you're gonna have to do better than that," Carina said, both hands planted on her hips. Malak raised a hand, levitating a squirming Carina into the air.

"The penalty for resistance is death. I shall enjoy watching you die..."

Before he could proceed with his torture, however, the blast doors opened and in strode Destrik, followed by many of the fallen Sith lords.

Malak paled and released his grasp, dropping Carina to the ground with a careless thud. She groaned and rolled away, picking herself up off the floor as she looked to see what had gained his attention in the first place.

"How good of you to join us." Malak prefaced his words with an almost amiable grin. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Destrik said nothing, raising his hand immediately to try and get an invisible grip on Malak's neck. He was denied access to this; something unseen obstructed him from taking hold of the Sith lord. Perhaps he was so attuned to the Force that he could manipulate it to form a barrier around him for protection. All Destrik needed was time to begin tearing away the shield, piece by piece.

"Saul Karath was right about you, Destrik," the Sith lord rasped. "He said you were obedient, but sly, lusting for more than he could give you, always hungering for more knowledge, more power. His death conveniently facilitated your own rise to power."

Malak nodded his head, his laughter echoing through the metallic sounding piece at his throat. "Yes, Karath was right. Though he couldn't have foreseen your craftiness, resurrecting former Sith lords to power. I must say, I underestimated you. A mistake I never again intend to make."

Malak raised his arms, fanning an invisible tidal wave of power in Destrik's direction that toppled him off his feet long enough for Malak to call in more reinforcements. Dark Jedi assassins entered the room, garbed from head to toe in simple black robes that disguised their true identities.

Destrik held his lightsaber at the offensive, waiting for the Jedi to charge--which they did. Four Jedi rushed at him at once, and he fended off the attack admirably. Meanwhile, the spirits of the four other Sith lords encompassed the five fighting men, invoking fear into the hearts of even the dark Jedi. Destrik gave a simple hand gesture, and with a loud cry, each of the spirits plunged into the bodies of the dark Jedi, eliciting sharp yowls from each of the men. They toppled from their feet to the floor, landing around Destrik with a groan. A few moments passed, and Malak watched, stupefied.

The bodies were still for a few moments longer. Slowly, one by one, their eyes opened and they moved from their backs to a sitting position, inspecting every inch of themselves--their hands, arms, legs--to make sure that everything was in working order. The largest of the Dark Jedi stood up and clutched a fist masterfully.

"At last," he said in a small little voice, "This vessel will be useful for something."

Destrik grinned maliciously, turning toward Malak as the four dark Jedi stood behind him, encircling the Sith lord. Malak fumbled toward the other end of the hall, standing behind a line of tables and chairs.

"You think you can defeat me?" the man croaked pitifully, clutching his lightsaber.

"With Freedon Nadd and Naga Sadow on my side, I think I might have a chance," Destrik said cockily, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. With one final command, he allowed the four dark Jedi, whose bodies the spirits inhabited, to rush Malak and run him through simultaneously with their four lightsabers while the Sith lord gave one final tortured cry.

When the whole grisly scene was over with, Destrik retreated to the other section of the mess hall, kicking the lifeless bodies of Uthar Wynn and Yuthura Ban out of his path. He turned to look at the four dark Jedi surrounding him, nodding slowly.

"You've done well, masters."

"We move on," Freedon Nadd hissed, his eyes glowing red in the human body, "I cannot retain a grip on this weakling life much longer. It will die. I need something stronger."

"Very well, master," Destrik said, bowing his head just enough to show respect, but not subservience. He looked to the other dark Jedi, who were walking strangely because the bodies were foreign to them. They were just enough to last them until there next stop over, when Destrik planned to complete the ritual to restore all the Sith lords to full life. The bodies were disposable vessels for transporting them there, in the meantime.

"Not so fast," a voice halted them. Destrik turned and glared. Carina stood there. She hadn't made her presence known until now, but her imposing frame towered above the others as she stood on a small platform behind the long line of chairs. Her eyes were filled with murderous rage.

"No one leaves without me telling them to." She indicated the seats with one gesture of the hand, but Destrik didn't respond to her request.

"Ah, yes, Malak's pet."

"No," Carina hissed, barely unable to contain herself, "I would've killed him had you not done it for me. Malak was a fool who deserved to die for what he's done to this galaxy."

"You sound a lot like a Republic brat. I guess it just says something about the company you keep," Destrik snipped.

"The Republic are fools, too. They should be stopped, like Malak. They all deserve to die. As do you."

She took out her lightsaber, preparing to dodge forward, when Mical ran into the room breathlessly, screaming,

"Carina, no!"

He had his lightsaber out in less than a fraction of a second, long enough to deflect the long stream of Force lightning Carina portioned his way. His lightsaber was strong enough to absorb some of the blow, but he gritted his teeth trying to fight against it. He couldn't hold on for much longer.

Carina ceased zapping him when she noticed Destrik and the four other dark Jedi were advancing on her. She held her lightsaber up, meeting the four crossed blades with one loud crack of energy. The white-hot light was blinding, so Mical shielded his eyes with one arm, looking away. Carina began twirling her blade around, connecting with each of the dark Jedi's blows. Her senses were so attuned to the Force that it was impossible for her to miss her mark.

With one great Force shove, she sent the dark Jedi sprawling backwards. Freedon Nadd cursed that his human body wasn't strong enough to withstand one as powerful as Carina, nor to launch an attack that matched his Force capabilities. It was just as good for Carina that the Sith lords hadn't been fully restored, otherwise she might not have been able to beat any of them.

Destrik called them back, and, seeing no use in continually fighting, the four dark Jedi withdrew and stood behind him.

"Had enough?" Carina asked, deactivating her lightsaber. Its pulsing red light slipped sharply back into the hilt.

"This isn't finished," Destrik sneered, "I'm coming for you next. My venerable masters will be restored to life. And next time, you won't have your pet Jedi to save you."

They exited the mess hall, leaving Carina glaring after them. Mical, who was in pain on the floor, made a move of his arm toward her.

"Don't!" she warned, flipping around to activate her saber. She held it in front of her eyes, glaring viciously down at him.

"Carina," Mical said weakly, his loss of voice attributed to the pain of seeing Carina in her current state. "Carina, listen to me. I've come to bring you home with me."

She looked at him as though he'd just spoken in Mando'a. Her nose scrunched up and her eyes creased--the same as she did when she smiled, Mical remembered with remorse. Only now, she wasn't smiling. She stood an arm's length away, threatening to kill him.

"Home? _This_ is my home now."

"No it's not, it's—"

"Silence!" she commanded. Mical bit his tongue for the moment. Carina stormed past him, her lightsaber still droning on endlessly.

"You shouldn't have come here," she spat, "You're lucky I don't kill you right now, doctor."

That said, she moved the lightsaber precariously close to his neck, as though toying with the idea of ending his life right then and there. Growing bored with the idea, she quickly retracted the saber.

"Carina, don't do this," Mical said, his voice breaking. His heart was pounding away in his chest, making it difficult for him to hear what he was actually saying. "You are too good to follow the path your family walked. The Jedi Council--"

"Are fools!" Carina said, kicking a chair so hard it tumbled halfway across the room. "You really think there's truth in anything they tell you? You really think they would have told me about my family being alive? No, that was another little tidbit of information they just chose to keep to themselves in order to preserve their miserable hides."

Mical outstretched his hands in a calming gesture.

"What they did was inexcusable, but don't let it color your view of the galaxy. Right, wrong—our choices are never easy—but your options are rapidly dwindling the further you stray from the path you were on."

"Says you," Carina grunted over one shoulder.

"Carina, listen to me," Mical said desperately, moving to his knees, either palm planted on the ground beside him to give him momentum should he need to propel himself to his feet. She might choose to turn on him at any moment and make him pay the price for speaking out of turn.

"I...I love you," Mical said hoarsely. She didn't look at him as he said this, but he tried to maintain eye contact for as long as possible without angering her. "I always have, and you've known it. I could never say it before now, because my devotion to the Jedi Council forbid me from doing so, but now I see the necessity of it."

"How sweet," Carina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Now, when it's convenient for you, you profess your love. I'll tell you what. You keep your filthy love. It does nothing for me, and it won't for you either. Love is all a lie. It makes you lower your defenses so the enemy can get in."

"I'm not the enemy! If you'll only listen," Mical said, inching forward on his knees. He didn't want to upset her by moving quickly.

"I've had enough of listening!" Carina said hysterically, a trace of sadness in her voice. "Take your emotions and bury them. They're better off dead."

Mical was still moving forward, almost at Carina's feet. His arms were still outstretched toward her, pleading with her to embrace him. He had but to reach a little further...

For a moment, Carina's eyes were big and watery. The red, while had normally dominated them, diffused a bit, revealing one single tear—a small, lonely drop of water that cascaded down her cheek and dribbled under the cleft of her chin.

Mical reached out to wipe away the single dear, but the red returned to Carina's eyes again, and she backhanded him so that he fell over with a groan.

"Don't ever touch me again. I will _destroy_ you if you do," she said in barely a whisper, tired by the effort it took to hold her emotions at bay.

"If it would make you realize the error of your ways, I would gladly suffer."

A cruel smile perked the edge of Carina's mouth up.

"Suffer you will."

She closed her eyes and propelled him effortlessly into the air, unleashing a storm of Force lightning upon him. His screams were music to her ears. They drove her, compelling her to call the energy faster, more violently. She opened her eyes for a moment, watching his agonized screams as his head was thrown back and his spine twisted unnaturally. She unleashed him, watching him roll away.

She couldn't kill him, but she couldn't understand why. She walked past him, her robe skirting the ground as anger began settling in.

"Leave," she ordered, "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you."

"But—" Mical groaned, still on his back after being released from the prolonged torture session. He barely had enough strength to speak, but he was willing to press himself for Carina.

"That's a promise," she said dangerously, before exiting the vacant mess hall.

Mical lay on his back, staring up at the vaulted ceiling for what seemed like hours. He hoped that someone would come by—be it Sith or Republic—and end his life. He already had nothing else to live for.

--------------------

After one particularly grueling training session, Carth dismissed his troops for the night and went to seek out the others in the Enclave. Dinner was held at various times throughout the night, so students and trainees filtered into the small eating area in droves. It wasn't unstructured, but it didn't resemble the rigidity of the Sith ways and teachings.

Carth slid into the seat next to Bao-Dur and Kevan, picking up a bowl of whatever soup they were having. Training always tired him out, so he doubled his appetite to replenish his body of vital nutrients he lost while sweating it out.

"Hello, Admiral," Kevan said.

"Heard anything from Mical?" Carth inquired while lifting the bowl to his lips and downing its contents.

"Not lately."

"I hope he's all right. It's been far too long since we've received word from him."

"Not to worry, Admiral. Mical is Republic-trained. He can take care of himself," Kevan assured him. Carth was unsatisfied by the Zabrak's response, but he chose to let it go.

He saw Rani enter the room with Igrayne and watched the two women filter through the crowd to occupy the seats across from them. Rani patted her seat free of crumbs and eased into it.

"Eating anything good?"

"Stew as usual," Carth grunted. Rani suppressed the urge to giggle.

"With so many troops to feed, it's no wonder the quality of food's gone downhill so fast."

"You can say that again," Igrayne agreed jovially. She and Bao-Dur exchanged covert glances across the table that didn't go unnoticed by Kevan.

"I was thinking, I could program HK to fight on our side if the need arises," Rani said.

"What?" Carth asked, snapping to attention. "No, that's crazy. That suicidal droid'll end up killing more of my men, and not the other way around. You might as well hand him over to Destrik."

Rani grew suddenly quiet, though Carth couldn't discern the cause for her somber mood. Igrayne broke into the uncomfortable pause with,

"How does the training go, Carth?"

Carth recovered from his state of confusion by dipping a piece of bread into his soup, sopping it up with the liquid infusion.

"Training's going well. Soon I'll have these troops whipped into shape. When the time comes for us to fight, I want you all with me, as commanders."

"Sounds good to me," Igrayne said with a smile. Bao-Dur and Kevan also acquiesced to Carth's request, but when it came time for Rani to speak, she merely said,

"I can't fight."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Carth said inquisitively. "I've seen you—you're an amazing shot. You've saved my butt more than once. What do you mean you can't fight?"

"I just can't," Rani said, staring into her bowl. The promise she'd made to Destrik was binding, but she couldn't ever explain to Carth the fact that she'd made it to save all their lives.

"Why not?" Carth asked once more as Rani got up and fled the room. Igrayne watched her leave and rubbed her arm to avoid the uncomfortable silence.

"What just happened?" Carth asked with both palms open. "What did I say?"

"She's probably just tired, Carth," Igrayne lied for her friend, "She needs some sleep. I'll go see to her."

Carth nodded, waving her away as she got up. With one last, longing glance in Bao-Dur's direction, she went toward the door and down the halls to the room she shared with the other girls. In it, she found Rani on her bed, crying profusely. She had come in unannounced, startling Rani from her reclining position.

"Don't you knock?" she asked, wiping her eyes dry with the back of her arm.

"Sorry, you looked like you had a lot on your mind, so..."

"I don't really want to talk," Rani said through her tears, her eyes still red and puffy from crying. Igrayne seated herself because she could see that her friend was in enormous pain.

"Rani, what's bothering you? First at dinner...then this."

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

"Is it Carth? Are you two having problems?"

"No," Rani said, sitting stark upright in the bed as though she had been offended by the inquiry. Igrayne raised both her hands up.

"Okay, sorry, I just thought..."

"I can't tell you. Please don't ask me to," Rani said, her voice trembling.

"Is it something bad?" Igrayne asked, growing concerned for her friend.

"Please, don't make me tell you," Rani begged her, her voice sounding pitifully small. Igrayne took her hand and patted it affectionately.

"Okay. Okay, I won't. I promise. No more questions, okay?"

Rani nodded and continued crying, allowing Igrayne to stay a little longer.

----------------------

By the time Evy and Atton exited his small room, a delicious smell was wafting on the air through the halls.

"My favorite time of day," Atton said with a big sniff, "Dinner time."

"Atton, would you stop thinking with your stomach?" Evy asked petulantly, pulling on her jacket that she had, mere moments ago, been unsuccessfully trying to tear off. Atton raised a mischievous eyebrow at her and cornered her, putting both hands on her waist.

"I wasn't thinking with my stomach an hour ago," he purred into her ear.

"No, you were thinking with _another_ organ," Evy said, punching him lightly in the forearm to release her.

"You didn't seem to mind so much..." he said.

She sidled past Atton, leading the way into the room to plop down across from Carth, Bao-Dur, and Kevan, all of whom looked to be deep in conversation.

"I'm starved," Atton said, reaching for a bowl of soup. "Anyone seen Tren?"

Evy tapped his hand lightly to remind him to save some food for the others. In response to this, Atton merely snaked his one free arm around her waist and tried unsuccessfully to pull her onto his lap. This resulted in quite a few raised eyebrows among the onlookers.

"Not here," Evy whispered into his ear before giving it a final nibble. Atton smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Excuse me, is there something we're missing?" Carth asked with one eyebrow raised. Atton had a goofy smile on his face as he said,

"Missing? No."

"Then kindly remove your hand from Evy's...derriere," Carth said, averting his eyes out of respect. Atton obeyed the admiral without complaint.

"Sure thing, Onasi."

"That's _Admiral_ Onasi to you, Atton."

"Okay, Carth."

His patience severely tested, Carth gave up on trying to hound Atton for now. Just when things were looking bad, Tren and Bastila showed up.

"It's about time," Atton complained, a trace of resentment toward his former friend present in his voice. "Where've you two been?"

Tren and Bastila both looked incredibly red at Atton's inquiry, but the Jedi woman said nothing. The Sith, who had never been at a loss for words before, said tentatively,

"I was showing Bastila how to use the polearms."

"I _bet_ you were," Atton said with a grin, shaking his head as he plopped down into the seat beside him. For as hard as he tried, he couldn't stay mad at his friend for long. "So...all's forgiven?"

Tren thought for a minute before replying,

"I suppose."

"You _did_ give me a shiner."

"And you set up my sister!" Tren exclaimed.

"Point taken."

"We're even, then?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

After rolling her eyes at the two utterly predictable men, Evy asked,

"Where's Rani?"

"Don't ask," Carth said, one hand up. "We're about to go into battle and she decides that now is the time to start getting moody."

"Relationship troubles?" Tren asked, quickly regaining his cool. "Or maybe it's communication? You two don't seem to have a lot of that."

"Shut up," Carth said, rubbing his eyes to rid his head of the discordant voices around him. All he wanted to know was that Rani was all right. She and Igrayne had left over hours ago, and neither one had been seen since. It was far too long.

Carth stood up and excused himself from his seat.

"Hey, where you going?" Tren asked.

"To see if she's all right," the admiral replied.

As Carth neared the proximity of the women's quarters, he could hear soft sobbing outside of the door. Several of the young padawans, who had obviously been listening outside the door, went scurrying about when Carth ordered them to scram. He walked up to the door and pounded with his fist on it.

Moments later, a flurry of movement sounded and the door hissed open. Igrayne's head peeked out.

"Carth!" she said. "What can I help you w—"

"I'm here to see Rani," he said without preamble.

"She can't really see you now, she's..."

Carth forced the door open with all the strength in his arm, causing Igrayne to jolt backward, out of his way. Carth pushed his way past her into the room and found Rani on her bed, her face buried in the pillows. Carth looked up at Igrayne, his expression unreadable, and said,

"Leave, please."

"But—"

"I need to speak with Rani alone."

Igrayne bowed her head submissively and scurried from the room, leaving the two alone for the time being. Carth needed to be quick with his line of questioning if he was to get any answers out of Rani. No doubt, Igrayne would return soon to try and expel him from the room once again.

Rani wiped her eyes and peeked over her shoulder at Carth.

"What?" she asked.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Carth said, both arms crossed over his chest.

"It's none of your business. Go away."

"I make it my business," he said, inching closer. Rani covered her face with her hands.

"I'm all puffy. Go away!"

"It's fine. C'mon. Look at me," he said, catching her wrists with both his hands. She looked at him through strands of her hair, tears trembling through her ebony-flecked lashes onto the apples of her cheeks.

"There, see? Beautiful."

"Carth—"

He captured her mouth with a long and gentle kiss, cupping her face in his hands to grant him fuller access to her mouth. Rani ignored the sadness and the thought of her imprisonment with Destrik for one moment, and Carth enveloped her senses. She breathed him in, tasted him, felt him surrounding her in his embrace. For now, all that mattered was that Carth was her universe.

She closed her eyes and gave over to the passion of his kiss, feeling the desire burn hot inside her, washing away all lingering doubts about the admiral. He pulled away briefly, breaking contact.

"Rani," he said, his hand gently stroking her face with the backside of his knuckles. He reached in for another kiss, which Rani eagerly returned.

----------------

Atton and Evy didn't bother staying long for dinner. After a few brief minutes, the couple exited the mess hall and began heading back to their quarters for the evening. Soon after Bastila and Tren had arrived, Evy had practically dragged Atton away from the table as she tugged on his sleeve, indicating that she wanted to leave. The scoundrel obliged, albeit hesitantly, and he waited until they were out of the mess hall before speaking to her.

"Geez, don't you think we could have stayed at least a few more minutes?" Atton complained, as they walked through the winding corridors of the Jedi Enclave.

"I'm full," she said simply.

Atton scoffed at her. "Hah! I've seen anorexic Twi'leks eat more than you did, babe. You sure you're feelin' alright?"

Evy merely shrugged.

"I'm fine… I just don't have much of an appetite lately."

"Well, your _other_ appetite seems to be functioning all right…if you know what I mean."

Atton threw her a sidelong grin as Evy blushed furiously. In order to demonstrate her disapproval, she gave him a playful slap on his rear end.

"Whoa, save it for when we get back to your dorm…" Atton said, looking thoroughly amused by her antics.

"Oh, shut up, will you?!" Evy exclaimed, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper as a group of padawans crossed their path. "There are people around!"

"Hey, you're the one who slapped my ass… maybe you should tone it down a bit, too."

Evy glared at him, not bothering to argue her case.

"Can you please just keep your mouth shut?"

"In all honesty, no…I can't. You of all people should know that, sweets…"

Atton winked suggestively at her and Evy released a heavy sigh in an attempt to bring her growing frustration under control. Atton's relentless use of sexual innuendo was really beginning to get on her nerves. To her surprise, the scoundrel grasped her waist, pinning her up against the nearest wall as she struggled against him in vain.

"For Force's sakes, have you no dignity?!" she asked, becoming slightly paranoid as she looked around to be sure that no onlookers were in the vicinity. "Someone could see us!"

"Ah, who cares what they think? I say let 'em stare."

Before she could say another word, Atton covered Evy's mouth with his own, capturing her in a passionate kiss. Her initial concern was immediately forgotten as she relaxed against him and allowed him to continue his ceaseless plundering of her mouth. All of her worries were temporarily forgotten until a familiar voice spoiled their romantic moment.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Atton stopped kissing her and Evy's expression was one of dread as she turned to face the last person she had wanted to see…

Bastila Shan.

Bastila blanched at the amorous display in front of her and said immediately,

"A word alone—please?"

Atton knew when it was his cue to exit, so he did just that—though not without a final death glare at Bastila. Once he had gone, the Jedi clasped Evy's arm and practically dragged her from the hall into a private room so their conversation would not be heard.

"That is not the proper conduct of a Jedi," she whispered harshly to Evy, who blushed furiously that her mentor had uncovered her secret relationship with the scoundrel. She was almost surprised it had taken this long, with how closely Bastila watched her.

Evy plopped down onto the bed, igniting her fury.

"What about Tren?" she queried, looking bored. The last thing she needed was another lecture about staying on the straight and narrow. "Are you going to tell me there's nothing between you?"

"That's _preposterous_," Bastila said primly, flustered by the idea. Evy could tell she had definitely hit a nerve.

"Go ahead, deny it."

When Bastila couldn't do just that, she nodded decidedly.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"That still doesn't excuse your actions," Bastila said, her fingernails digging into the fleshy part of Evy's arm. She twisted her arm free of her grasp, earning her a sour look from her mentor.

"The Jedi Council will find out—"

"They won't."

"They'll find out, and _believe me_, they will not be pleased when they hear of what—or should I say _who_—you've been doing."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Evy asked, anger bubbling to the surface. She was once again bombarded with thoughts of Jeran lying dead in some cold grave, while the council preached and deliberated on meaningless ideals and virtues.

"The Jedi Council always finds some way to criticize, not encourage their students," Evy stated, to effect. Bastila looked appalled. "They're almost as bad as the Sith!"

Bastila closed her eyes, drawing her thoughts to her. Collecting her thoughts made it easier for her to stabilize her mood swings, and Evy was definitely about to throw her into one massive mood swing. When she opened her eyes, her head was much clearer and she could think straight again. Where had that sudden wave of anger come from?

"The Jedi Council will not condone any action that does not abide by their code."

"I...love him," Evy stressed, adjusting her tone and voice to seem gentler, more subdued.

"I know," Bastila said, a note of understanding in her voice as she held her hand, "But you mustn't. I can train you no longer if you do not meet the Council's demands. They will not let me."

"The Council doesn't have to know..." Evy suggested. Bastila merely shook her head.

"What you're suggesting is betrayal. The Council has ordered me to report on all activities during training. I can't lie to them."

"Then I guess I should give you this," Evy said, unclipping her lightsaber to hand it to Bastila. The woman looked utterly flabbergasted as she said,

"Your lightsaber...no. Keep it."

Evy wondered if the other woman knew the lightsaber had belonged to Jeran. She had extended it to her more out of duty than desire, and she was relieved when the other woman had rejected it. She must have known what it meant to her. The mere fact that she carried it around after all these years bore testament to that.

"You're making a mistake," Bastila said. "The Republic will need the Jedi when the fighting breaks out. It is wise to ally yourself with them, not against them."

"I'm not defecting to the Sith. Nor am I with the Jedi."

She didn't know where she was. Suspended in some imaginary world where she truly believed she and Atton could live happily ever after.

_Wake up. He's a scoundrel, you're a Jedi...ex-Jedi..._ she corrected herself. _It won't work. It will never work._

Lost in her daydreams, Evy wandered away to her room and jumped under the covers, prepared to go to sleep. But she wasn't tired, nor did she sleep. She stayed awake for the remainder of the night, staring at a spot above her head while holding the lightsaber hilt in both hands. Her ties with Bastila and the Jedi had been severed...now what?

------------------

A small astromech droid whirred past on its circuit of the Enclave's narrow corridors. Igrayne watched it go by and entered her room alone, sitting down. She hoped that Carth and Rani weren't arguing, as she had appeared to be in fragile health ever since returning with the others. Any wrong word from Carth might upset her...

Igrayne held her head in her hands, then smelled her armpits. How long had it last been since she took a shower? Deciding that was the best course of action, she went into the 'fresher and tossed her clothes over a small rack before rinsing herself clean of all the dirt and grime that had been accumulating on her body over the last couple days. She had endured rigorous training exercises with the Jedi—and equally rigorous exercises with Bao-Dur at night.

Igrayne stepped out and rubbed her hair dry, leaving it in stringy curls over her shoulders. She picked out a set of spare Jedi robes and donned them quickly. Her eyes grazed briefly over the messed covers of her bed. Last night, in their struggle coming into the room, they had nearly missed the bed.

She belted on her lightsaber and took one final look at herself in the mirror. As if on cue, a small knock sounded at the door. Igrayne went over to the keypad and unlocked it. Bao-Dur stood there, prepared for their usual encounter. Sometimes they ranged from sweet to downright violent, depending upon their moods.

"Not tonight," she said.

"That's not what I've come for," Bao-Dur said, stepping quietly into the room. His remote buzzed excitedly over one shoulder, and Igrayne knew he spoke the truth. Usually the little droid was out of service for a few hours or so, until they had finished and dressed themselves.

"What is it?"

"It's Mical. I think...something terrible has happened," Bao-Dur said, his features scrunched up in pain. Her expression grew concerned in an instant.

"What?"

"I don't know. I can feel it _through the Force_," he said, his voice a velvet hiss, lacking its usual color. Igrayne put one hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Is he all right?"

Bao-Dur nodded.

"He lives. But he is in great pain."

Igrayne looked stupefied.

"We've got to do something!"

"Inform the Admiral," Bao-Dur said.

"He's...uh...busy at the moment," Igrayne replied, feeling flustered. Bao-Dur either didn't know or couldn't read her expression, so he replied with,

"Then inform Bastila. Perhaps she has the authority to send out a rescue team."

"You wait here," Igrayne said, touching a gentle hand to his cheek—a touch so unlike any she had experienced while in the throes of passion with him. He responded to the touch by saying,

"I'll be fine. Now go."

She exited the room in a hurry to find Bastila.

------------------

_Oh, force, no..._ thought Mithic as his starfighter crash landed upon Dantooine. As he got out of the wreck that was his ship, he saw the walls of the Jedi Enclave and three kinrath surrounding him. Leaping into the fray, he drew his lightsaber and blaster, firing one shot and slashing viciously with the saber. The white light emitted by his lightsaber turned to red as the blood of kinrath spilled onto the Dantooine earth. A sharpshooter, Mithic's shot made its mark on the third kinrath's head. All three toppled over. He strode towards the enclave in hopes of getting a place to stay while he repaired his ship. The guard at the enclave door approached him cautiously, having seen his display of ruthless combat just seconds ago.

"Nasty crash back there," said the guard, "as was the battle afterwards."

"Could I spend a few days here at the Enclave while I assess the damage to my ship?" said Mithic.

"I think there's a room left, but since the troops are here, it might not be open. I should check with the Admiral."

"May I enter?"

"Yeah, but I'll need your name first.

"It's John Mithic."

"Okay, Master Mithic. You may enter."

Mithic walked into the Enclave doors, hoping for that room to be open. He waited by the fountain inside the Enclave while the guard went to speak with the Admiral.

"Just stay here, Master Mithic, I will return with Admiral Onasi's answer."

A few moments later, the guard returned.

"The Admiral wants to speak with you," he said.

The guard led Mithic to the Admiral, then left to go back to his post.

"John Mithic, right?" the Admiral asked.

"Yeah, that's my name," Mithic replied.

"So, you're looking for a room? I heard that your ship crashed outside. Johnson said it looked rather mangled. Sounds like you're going to be here a while, then."

"Yes. Hey, why are all these soldiers at a Jedi Enclave?"

"We believe Dantooine is going to be attacked, and we need any help we can get. I heard you managed those kinrath pretty well, you interested in helping?"

"Okay, I'm always up for a good fight."

"Good, report here at sunrise tomorrow. Your room is on the left down that hall."

"Thanks."

And with that, Mithic went in the direction Admiral Onasi pointed him in, found his room, and went to salvage what he could of his belongings from the wreckage outside

----------------

Destrik and the four dark Jedi took the small transport to the ship that was hovering over Korriban's dusty atmosphere. As the two ships connected and the transfer hatchway opened, Destrik and his men filed out into the main hold of his flagship. Dustil was already awaiting his return.

"Who are they?" Dustil sniffed upon seeing the four dark Jedi walking in like they owned the place. Destrik said in an undertone,

"A little more respect, Dustil. These men you're addressing are the lords you knew as Masters Freedon Nadd, Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, Ajunta Pall, and Tulak Hord. You might've read about them in your history books?"

Dustil's only response was to drop his jaw open in shock. He quickly moved out of the way to make room for the men, trying to straighten things a bit when he knew their true identity. The dark Jedi merely scoffed at the boy and resumed their seats in the main hold.

"How are operations going?" Destrik asked.

"Smoothly."

"Well, I've got another trajectory for you to plot, so go inform the pilot we're heading to Malachor."

"Ma...Malachor?" Dustil stammered. He obviously knew the name—everyone had—and it held some personal meaning for him, too. But to touch foot on Malachor was something he'd never wanted. Especially not with five Sith lords in tow.

Destrik gave him a smoldering glare to spur him to action. Dustil gave a curt bow and hurried from the room.

"Yes, Master."

After the boy left, Destrik made himself comfortable and began drawing up plans with the other five men, who looked even weaker in their human form than they did in their spirit form. He felt the ship take a sharp turn for the right, apparently in response to Dustil's orders.

He smiled.

Soon, they would have their revenge.

---------------

Igrayne rounded the corner of the hall and nearly tumbled into Carth Onasi, who appeared to have been returning from the training room. She expected he was still with Rani, but her curiosity was piqued when she saw the harried look on his face. Obviously, he'd had to put aside what he was doing to attend his battalion. She heard him murmuring something about one of his soldiers—a John Mithic, or something.

"Admiral?" she asked. Carth spun about as dazed.

"Oh, Igrayne," he said humorlessly. "What's up?"

"I was looking for Bastila, but I'm glad I found you. Listen, Mical's in trouble. Bao-Dur had a vision...and...well, it's not looking pleasant for him."

"Have you attempted to contact Mical at all?" Carth said, trying to sound adequately concerned for his friend, though his mind was elsewhere.

"He hasn't answered his comm. Bao thinks he may be in trouble. He said he's alive, but...he's in pain."

Carth nodded to her, though she hadn't asked him a question.

"Then it'd appear the negotiations failed. Damn it.!"

He had been referencing Carina. Igrayne wondered if he ever thought of their friends from other than a purely tactical standpoint. As it was, Carina's entrance into the Sith ranks would prove a tactical nightmare for the Republic forces. Was that Carth's only concern, or did he indeed care for the wellbeing of his friends?

As if in response to her mental question, Carth added,

"Send someone out to get him."

"Who?"

"I don't care. Whomever you have to. Use your judgment."

Igrayne nodded firmly, happy that she'd gotten his authorization before pulling another stunt. At least this time she could blame it on Carth if need be. Especially with the Council's current iffiness about the whole Carina situation.

The Admiral was about to continue off on whatever direction he was headed, but Igrayne stopped him by asking, "How's Rani?"

"What?"

"_Rani_."

"Oh...she's fine. She's sleeping."

_Not with you,_ Igrayne added mentally, knowing that was probably what he was thinking, too.

"Carth, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh, running a hand through his damp hair. "I just got a lot on my mind. That's all."

"Take it easy," Igrayne told him with a note of concern in her voice. He nodded.

"Yeah. I will. For now, I need to resume training with my troops. I've got another soldier."

"I heard."

"You also heard something about a John Mithic?" Carth inquired. Igrayne shook her head.

"Name doesn't ring a bell. Why?"

"He's the soldier. He just...showed up tonight. His ship crashed conveniently at the Enclave doors. It's all a little fishy, but...I could sure use the help."

"Don't let your paranoia get the best of you."

"I am not paranoid!" Carth declared.

"Whatever, flyboy," Igrayne said with a hint of mischief in her eye.

"All right...maybe I'm a little paranoid."

"Look, you can't be so suspicious of everyone who comes into the Enclave. The majority of the galaxy isn't aligned with the Sith."

"Yeah, I know. That's what I figured when I agreed to train him."

"Well then, there's your answer. I'm sure you would've noticed if the guy seemed a little...off."

"He fought some kinrath damn well. He's got real skill." Carth appeared to mull the thought over for a few more minutes. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's just my delusions getting the best of me."

"There you go," Igrayne said, tapping him on the shoulder. Carth nodded to her, giving her a military salute.

"Dismissed."

She'd grown accustomed to being issued the same commands as the recruits, thinking it somewhat humorous when she actually responded to them. Before she could get halfway down the hall, however, Carth said, "And Igrayne?"

She turned.

"Thanks."

----------------

After getting all of his belongings that were not destroyed in the crash, Mithic returned to the Enclave, his arms full of his remaining personal items. After depositing them in his room, he decided to go see what the other soldiers were doing. Luckily, his non Force-user disguise was still intact, so he donned his normal clothes, locked his lightsaber away, and left the room. He found some soldiers lounging about, some talking and eating, and the rest practicing their aim. Mithic approached the targets and drew his blaster. After he began to put a large hole directly on the bulls eye mark without much effort, the soldiers came to watch the expert marksman practice.

One asked, "Hey, how do you do that?"

Mithic smiled. "I just aim and fire. All it takes is practice."

One by one, the soldiers stopped what they were previously doing to practice, each with dreams of being as good a shot as Mithic. Then, the Admiral entered the training area. When Carth saw all of the soldiers training, he was quite happy with his apparent excellent leadership, until he saw Mithic's target. Carth approached Mithic and said "Hey, nice shooting there, Mithic," but he was really thinking of proving how much better he was than Mithic.

Mithic sensed clouded emotions in Admiral Onasi, and he asked "Is there anything wrong, sir?"

"No, just thinking about..."

"About what, sir?"

"Never mind, soldier. Carry on."

Carth continued to patrol the area. In the back of his mind he thought "This new recruit is going to cause me a lot of trouble."

Mithic returned to his room and turned in for the night.

Late at night, someone opened the door to his room. Mithic heard this and reached for his lightsaber. Suddenly, a eerie black glow burst into the room. Mithic quickly ignited his lightsaber to block the slash coming in to end his life. The illumination from the two lightsabers was enough to tell Mithic who his attacker was.

_I wonder how he tracked me here..._ thought Mithic. He let his assailant push him back towards his bed. Quickly, Mithic grabbed his blaster and delivered a non-lethal shot, but powerful enough to send the attacker away. He returned his weapons to their places, pushed the door back into place, and returned to sleep.

-----------------

The gray glow of the moments before dawn was enough to wake Evy from her troubled sleep. Her mind was surging with conflicting thoughts. Not only that, but she had suffered another bout of visions in the little time that she was able to sleep. The images of her friends and crewmates had swirled about in her subconscious, yet none of them had really made sense to her, except for one.

Tears slid down the side of her face as she lay on the bed and remembered the vision. It had been so clear, so vivid, that it had felt as if she was really there. She had been holding Atton, in her arms, pressing her lips to his quivering ones… and he had been _dying_.

Evy sniffed softly, but it must have been loud enough to wake Atton, because he drew his arm around her and pulled her towards him. She kept her face turned away from him, and Atton contented himself with nuzzling her neck. Atton had come to her the night before, and she had pulled him forcefully into the room with her, pressing her body against his in need of his comforting touch. They hadn't even spoken. She was afraid that if she spoke to him, she would tell him about how she had turned her back on the Jedi. How could she explain it to Atton, when she could barely believe it herself?

When she had first agreed to Bastila's training, it had been under pretense. She had joined just so she could hone her skills. But as the training continued, she had begun to feel a loyalty towards the Jedi, a desire to serve the galaxy with her talents.

_No use worrying about it now, it's over… I am Jedi no longer… _

Evy lay there with Atton, his hands now moving across her body in increasing urgency. Their desire for one another had seemed inexhaustible, and Evy wondered if her need for him would ever go away. There was no need to fumble with clothes, they had already disposed those the night before. She winced slightly as she allowed him to enter her again.

"You alright, sweets?" he asked her, his voice husky with misuse and desire.

She didn't answer him with words. Instead, she ran her hands down his back, her nails lightly scratching him, she stopped her descent at his hips, where she suddenly pulled him deeper into her. At the same moment, she crushed her lips against his, muffling both of their moans. It was a coupling full of raw desire, and Evy gave herself over to it totally, enjoying the respite from her troubled thoughts. 

Afterwards, Atton had almost immediately fell back to sleep, but Evy did not. Instead, she waited until his snores were deep and regular, indicating that he was lost to sleep, and she slid out of his grasp. She spent a good amount of time in the shower, doing more thinking than washing.

A bit later, in fresh robes and with damp hair, Evy made her way to the dining facilities. She walked with her head slightly bowed, as if wondering how many knew of her abandoning the Jedi.

"I see you are still here," Bastila said, as she approached her.

"I am still here for my friends, and for the Republic," Evy answered, her voice hollow and tired.

"Come with me," Bastila said, walking out of the crowded room.

Evy followed, not sure what else to do. As they left the room, Evy could have sworn she heard someone say "schutta." She turned her head towards where she heard voice and saw a group of padawans, talking quietly and looking pointedly in her direction.

Evy's mind reeled. How many knew about her and Atton?

Bastila pulled Evy into a small empty room, apparently aware of her discomfort.

"How many people have you told?" Evy fumed at Bastila.

"I have told no one. All this gossip is resultant of _your_ lack of discretion," Bastila answered, her face serious.

"What do you want from me Bastila?"

Bastila took in a deep intake of breath, as if she were about to say something she didn't really want to.

"Evy, regardless of what you may think, I care for you. I want what is best for the Republic, but I also want what is best for you. Don't waste your life and your abilities with that scoundrel. You can be so much more. I have sensed your talent, and he is getting in the way of you realizing your potential!"

Bastila spoke with a gentle fervor, tempering her harsh words with her concern for Evy. Evy realized that what Bastila was saying may be true.

"Have you never been in love?" Evy asked quietly.

"I… I have chosen never to give into those feelings that may lead to that."

"It is my reason for living, you know, for going on in this dark existence… When I lost Jeran, I thought my life was over. I became a shell of what I once was. Don't you understand, I want to live a real life!"

"Sometimes, we must give up those things we want the most in order to do what is right," Bastila said wisely, "the Republic needs every last Jedi they can get. Don't you realize the seriousness of this situation? The Jedi needs you… the Republic needs you…"

Evy stood stock still, her jaw muscles clenching as she thought about how she had been selfishly consuming herself with Atton, so that she did not have to face the truth.

"Your visions… you fear for Atton's life. Don't you realize that the path that you follow now may very well lead to his death?"

Evy stiffened at Bastila's statement. She had never considered that her actions may cost Atton his life.

"What you do behind closed doors, is your business, and you are not the only Jedi to indulge in such things, but beware the consequences of your actions. I am willing to train you, as long as you make discretion a priority. But know this, you will have to make a decision, you will have to choose, Atton or the Jedi. You are only putting off the inevitable."

With that said, Bastila gave Evy one last look, before turning on her heels and leaving the confused woman to her thoughts.

----------------------

Rani pulled herself out of bed. She wanted nothing more than to lay there in the dim light of dawn and bury herself in her sorrows. But the week was passing by quickly, and she knew that she had to prepare herself to face Destrik yet again.

She dressed without turning on any lights. Rani had wanted to tell Igrayne about how she was expected to go to Destrik, but she knew that if she did, Igrayne may try and prevent her from leaving.

_I would never forgive myself if they were all killed because of me… _

"Cheerful greeting: Good morning, Master!"

Rani turned her gaze to the droid, his activated eye lights filling the room with a red glow.

"Good morning, HK," Rani answered, wondering why he'd powered up.

"Gentle inquisition: Master, is there something you wish to speak to me about?"

Rani paused. She did want to speak to someone about her concerns, but her assassin droid?

"No, not really," she finally answered, pulling her long hair back into a ponytail.

"Coaxing Statement: My sensors indicate that you are in some measure of distress."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Excited question: Who is causing you this distress, Master? Would you like me to kill them for you?"

"No, HK! I told you no killing! At least not yet…"

"Hopeful Inquiry: Is it that Republic Admiral meatbag? Will you order me to kill him soon?"

Rani sighed, this droid was quite insistent, and it annoyed her, but at least it distracted her from her thoughts.

"No, HK, I meant, you may be able to kill once the battle starts, ok? You are never to harm Carth. Understand?" Rani's words were authoritative.

"Troubled query: Master, what is your connection with that bothersome meatbag?"

"Do you know anything about love, HK?"

"Informative statement: Oh yes Master, 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope... Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds." 

Rani stared at the droid for a few moments before bursting into laughter.

"Never mind HK, just don't harm Admiral Onasi."

"Disappointed statement: Yes, Master." 

-------------------------

Evy slipped back into her room, careful to avoid others in the hallway. Once inside, she found Atton, reclining on her chair.

"Where'd you head off to, sweets?"

Evy tried not to look at his shirtless form, the body that had given her so much pleasure.

"I went to get something to eat."

"Bring any back for me? I'm starved," he replied, patting his taut stomach.

"No, I didn't end up getting anything," she said, still hesitant to look at him.

Atton stood and met her at the closed door. He held her waist and pushed her back against it, bringing his face right in front of hers.

"No problem, I'm hungry for something else anyway," he said as he kissed her, pushing his tongue insistently against her lips to gain entry.

Evy did not respond, and Atton pulled back from her.

"Something up?" he said, his dark eyes filled mostly with concern, but also with a bit of anger.

She moved away from the door, striding into the center of the room. She didn't want to feel any more trapped than she already felt.

"Yes, Atton, last night, I chose you over the Jedi."

Atton stared at her, his head drooped slightly with tension.

"And this morning, I was offered a place back with the Jedi," she continued.

"Let me guess, Bastila will let you back in if you give me up, right?"

Evy shook her head slightly.

"No, she won't make me choose, but it doesn't really matter anyway, I will have to choose, eventually."

"So? What do you choose?" Atton asked.

"Atton, what are we doing here? Where is this going?"

"Oh no, why do women insist on ruining a good thing by talking about it?" Atton groaned.

"Atton! I was ready to sacrifice everything just to be with you! Doesn't that mean anything to you? The least you could do is tell me what is going on!" Evy's nerves were on edge, and she uncharacteristically blew up at Atton.

"Hey! Listen, I don't owe you anything! I told you from the beginning that I couldn't promise you anything!" Atton returned her words with equal anger, getting panicky over the perceived pressure he was receiving from her.

"So, that's it then? You don't owe me anything, so you won't give me anything?" she lowered her voice and fought back tears.

"I'm a deserter, sweets, that's what I do. I have given as much of myself as I can give, and if that is not enough then…" his voice also lowered, and his demeanor was now sad.

"Then, what?" Evy asked, her light green eyes flashing with challenge.

"Then you know what you must do," he finished, turning his back and leaving her.

------------------

Rani jogged around the Republic training grounds. She had been conscientiously training since she'd landed on Dantooine. She was in much better shape, and her skill with a blaster had baffled even herself.

As she jogged past, she saw a new recruit amongst the Republic soldiers. He sparred with several other soldiers at once, quickly knocking them down and winning the round. Rani stopped to watch him, and the man looked vaguely familiar to her. He had a cocky demeanor though, and he wiped his brow from his exertion. Rani continued to stare at the recruit, and his name almost came to her mind, until a voice broke her concentration.

"Alright soldiers," Carth's authoritative voice commanded as the men quickly stood at attention.

Rani noticed that the familiar soldier was the last to finally take up the respectful stance. She decided to move on though, hesitant to distract Carth when he worked. In addition, she had found it increasingly difficult to hide the fact that she had to go back to Destrik, and she had avoided Carth for fear of accidentally telling him.

Her breaths were controlled as she continued her pace and jogged away from the training grounds, but a sharp pain in her lower leg caused her to slow down.

"Damn shin splints," she cursed softly to herself.

Soft grunting and panting caught Rani's attention, and she glanced around the tree trunk she was leaning against and saw Atton, swinging at the air with a double-bladed vibrosword. Usually, Atton and Trentyn trained together, but apparently Tren had not yet arrived to their session. Rani found the two gleaming vibroblades at the base of the tree and picked them up, feeling the cold weight in her hands. Atton stopped his frenzied swings and stared at her.

"Up for a duel?" she asked.

Rani was not at all skilled at melee combat, but figured anything she could learn from Atton would be helpful.

He nodded in answer and seemed to visibly restrain himself as he took a defensive stance.

"You strike first," he commanded, waiting for her attack.

She held the two vibroblades in front of her crossed in front of her face.

Atton shook his head slightly.

"No, not like that. You want the movements of the two weapons to complement each other, not get in the way of each other," Atton instructed, walking over to her and adjusting her stance.

"There," he said with satisfaction, before she attacked.

He barely got his weapon up in time to fend off her attack.

"Damn woman! Fighting dirty, are we?" his voice was full of amusement, but Rani felt ashamed and stopped her attack.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were ready!"

Atton laughed, and it sounded a bit strained. Rani could tell that something was wrong, and she was more than certain that it had to do with Evy. Rani decided not to question Atton about it however, if he wished to speak about it, he would.

They continued their little training session, and Rani learned some basics of melee fighting. Eventually, they both stopped, Rani was out of breath.

"Hey, you aren't half bad for a beginner," Atton offered.

Rani chuckled. "Thanks… I guess."

They sat in silence for a bit longer, until Rani recovered her breath.

"Where's Tren?" she asked.

Atton shrugged, "probably with his hypocritical Jedi princess."

"Bastila creating problems for you and Evy again?" Rani asked.

"I don't know if it's that… there is, there is a lot that we have to sort out," Atton replied vaguely.

"I understand," Rani said softly, thinking of her own issues with Carth.

"Problems with the Admiral?" Atton asked, just happy to have a companionable conversation.

"It's hard to have a healthy relationship with everything that is going on," Rani said.

"I'm sure the little problem of Destrik isn't helping any," Atton said without thinking.

Rani stared at him for a moment, before deciding on a whim to divulge her secret to him.

"I have to return to him, or he'll kill everyone."

Atton's eyes met hers, "what?"

Rani told Atton the whole story. The words came easier than she thought they would, pouring out of her mouth. Surprisingly, she didn't cry.

After she was done telling him, Atton stared at the ground.

"Can anyone convince you not to go back to him?" he asked.

"No, I have to. I know that I will be forced to be by his side, but if I can do anything to help the Republic…"

"You know you can't save him. Some people are beyond redemption. Destrik is too consumed by the dark side to ever come back."

Even though Rani knew Atton hated Destrik, she knew that there may be truth to his words.

"Even so, if I can't save him, maybe if I am there… maybe I can help stop the Sith."

"But you aren't sure how to do this," Atton finished for her.

Rani nodded, amazed that the scoundrel was so understanding of her.

"I have an idea, but it would mean that you would have to betray Destrik, are you ready for that?"

Rani mulled this over. If she had to, could she give up on Destrik?

"Yes," she replied.

Destrik was growing too powerful, and he fully intended on taking over the galaxy. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and perhaps even Rani's love could not save him from the dark side.

"Well, we'll need to get your psycho droid outfitted with some new gadgets. A holo-recorder perhaps, a hidden commlink, and a few other things," Atton said.

"Who could do that?"

"Bao-Dur," Atton answered.

"But will he do that?"

"Leave that up to me," Atton replied confidently, happy to feel useful once again.

"I hope you aren't hitting on my sister," Tren's teasing voice called out.

Rani and Atton stood up, and Rani looked at Atton with a look that plainly said, "please don't tell him."

"Never," Atton replied good-naturedly, "I wouldn't want both you and the Admiral after my nuts."

"Don't you think Republic is a bit old for you?" Tren asked his sister.

"Oh please, don't even go there. How old was that Sith Master that you were sleeping with?" Rani shot back.

"Oh, Yuthura Ban? Ah, she's a Twi'lek, and they don't age as fast," Tren offered.

"Dude, you slept with Yuthura?!?!" Atton asked with amazement.

Tren shrugged, "more than once, bro, more than once."

Rani rolled her eyes and left the two men to talk about female conquests.


	37. Nomansland

Indy ignored the now familiar numbness creeping into her limbs. She did take a moment to wriggle her fingers hoping that the movement may help activate her damaged nerves. Her health was improving, although slowly, since her resurrection experience.

Many dusty books littered the floor and ancient manuscripts covered the desk that Indy was seated at. Every waking moment was consumed by her study. She even dreamed about it. The Jedi Council had asked her to find out as much as she could about the Books of Life and Death, and Indy had only obliged because of how desperately they needed her help. The Council had even opened up all of the archives for her use.

Indy could not help but feel partially guilty for the renewed power of the Sith. In her quest for the Book of Life, she had released a dangerous weapon. Now, Destrik had it, and she knew that each day that passed only made him much stronger.

She rubbed her eyes as she stared at the ancient script in front of her. How long had it been since she slept?

Her intense study was rudely interrupted as Han entered the room. All of Indy's senses, except that of touch, seemed amplified since her "death," and she winced as his footsteps echoed and reverberated in the room.

She kept her head bowed, still reading the manuscript, a few strands of hair strayed out of her messy ponytail into her face. Han approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, Indy barely felt it.

"How's the work coming?" he asked, his voice more cautious then usual.

Their relationship had been very strained since their arrival on Dantooine. Indy just had no time to spare for Han, and Han had little to do on the planet.

"Fine," she answered, her voice sounded more curt than she meant it to.

Han cleared his throat and braced himself to try again.

"Any new discoveries?"

"No, Han, I am reading a lot, but nothing seems to make sense. It's just not fitting together. I know what's going to happen, but I can't figure out a way to prevent it."

Han smiled to himself. Indy was actually speaking to him, it was the most attention she'd given him in days. He moved his hand from her shoulder and let it slowly caress her neck. Indy was surprised at the tingles that traveled down her spine.

"You'll figure it out," he said, trying to be encouraging.

Indy finally turned and looked at Han. Her connection to the Force had increased since her resurrection, and she could sense Han's anxiousness.

"Not at this pace I won't. Destrik will attack as soon as he feels he is powerful enough… we don't have much time," Indy replied, trying to direct her thoughts back to the mound of books that awaited her. 

"Indy, don't you think you could use a little break?"

"I don't have time for a break!"

"Look kid, you need to take care of yourself, you haven't slept well, you've barely eaten, I don't think you've seen the sun since we've gotten here!"

Indy stood to face Han, their height difference still was too great, and she had to crane her neck up to look at him.

"This is important, Han."

"You act like the fate of the galaxy rests on your shoulders."

"Who knows, maybe it does," Indy said shrugging.

Han scoffed. "Playing the hero doesn't suit you."

Anger rose in Indy's chest. How dare he undermine the importance of her work? How could he be so selfish?

"You're just upset because you aren't getting what you _want_," Indy said, her words loaded with meaning. 

Han grabbed her arms, and pulled her close to her. His grip was very tight, but Indy could feel no pain from it, only a nagging pressure.

"I care about you, this has _nothing_ to do with the bedroom," Han said roughly.

"Leave me alone, I can take care of myself."

Han looked stricken at her harsh words, and he released his grasp on her and stalked out without a word.

Indy picked up a book, resumed her seat, and begun reading about ancient death rituals of the Sith.

-------------

Igrayne paced the hallway in the Enclave, thinking about who to send to Mical's aid. She felt like she should go herself, but wondered how much danger she may face on Korriban alone.

Voices echoed down the hallway, and Igrayne stopped to listen.

"The Council is just a bunch of old, slow, and maybe slightly mentally handicapped fools," a familiar masculine voice stated.

"Shh! Tren! What if someone hears you?" a prim female voice said.

"Always worried about what other people think of you, aren't you babe?"

"I am just not the blubbering idiot that you are."

"What does that say for you? Weren't you just enjoying the mouth of this blubbering idiot?"

Igrayne tried to step back into the shadows as the two rounded the corner, but she was too late. Bastila stared at Igrayne uncomfortably, while Trentyn merely grinned at her.

"Uh, Igrayne, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Bastila asked, clearly wondering how much had been heard.

Igrayne looked at Bastila and decided for the moment to feign ignorance about the overheard conversation.

"Mical is in danger, and I am to send someone out to help him."

Bastila looked thoughtful, then guilty. She had been distracted lately, but she should have sensed Mical's endangerment through the Force.

"I'll go," she said.

"Come on, babe, you can't go by yourself, I'll go with you," Tren said, a hint of concern in his voice.

Bastila winced at his familiar manner with her in front of Igrayne and gave him the evil eye, but said nothing.

"Okay then, I'm coming too, I've sensed a lot of dark power coming from the planet," Igrayne said.

"Ahem…well…it is Korriban, I mean, isn't it like a source of dark power?" Tren asked.

Igrayne sighed. "More than usual, Tren."

"Ah, just checking."

----------------

Atton stood outside Bao-Dur's workroom. HK-47 had not been happy when he had been ordered by Rani to accept the orders of Atton temporarily. In all honesty, the droid made Atton nervous, but HK had finally become cooperative when it had been explained to him that the new upgrades would make him more able to protect Rani.

Bao had readily accepted to do the required upgrades on the droid. He did not even ask Atton why they were needed. He had merely nodded and shut the door to immediately get to work.

"He must really enjoy his work," Atton mumbled as he tried not to worry about Evy.

Part of him thought that she should choose the Jedi over him. What could a scoundrel such as he offer her anyway?

Suddenly, the door to the workroom swished open, and Bao marched out with the droid in tow. Atton tried not to look too impressed as he took in the droid's appearance. Bao was quite the craftsman, and HK had been cleaned, polished, and the dents had been pounded out of his shell.

"Does he work as well on the inside as he looks?" Atton asked, hopeful that Bao-Dur had been able to do all that he had requested.

"Yes, Rani should have no problems communicating with us while she is with the Sith, and they will not be able to detect a thing," Bao-Dur said without an ounce of surprise.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Atton asked.

Bao gave Atton a slight smile before speaking. "Is there anything else you need?"

Atton returned the Zabrak's understated smile.

"Nah, I think you've done enough."

"I will return the droid to Rani. I need to instruct her about the new upgrades," Bao said.

Atton nodded before heading off to watch the setting sun of Dantooine. 

----------------

Indy finally could keep her eyes open no longer. She left the Enclave library and made her way to her quarters. She was surprised to find Han in the room. Her eyes must have betrayed her emotions, because Han walked past her to close the door and then approached her.

"You need me as much as I need you. Understand, kid?"

Indy wanted to throw her arms around Han and allow him to help her forget about all of her worries.

_No, you should be worried. Destrik is out there, doing Force knows what, all because of you_, she thought to herself.

Indy didn't respond to Han, so he ducked his head to kiss her. She didn't push him away, but she didn't exactly kiss him back either.

Han angrily pulled away.

"What is going on here, Indy? Ever since the tomb, you've been acting like you want nothing to do with me."

"Maybe I don't, Han! Sithspit! Maybe your life is free and you don't feel responsibility to anything, but I do!"

"I feel responsibility towards you, have you ever stopped to think about that?"

Indy wanted nothing more than to run to the far reaches of the galaxy with Han and leave the danger behind, but her work was more important.

"My highest priority is my work. And I will not let anything get in the way of it."

"You think I get in the way of your work?"

Indy raised an eyebrow, "what do you think?"

"What happened to you, Indy, you've changed?" Han said with a pained expression.

"In that tomb, when I died… I can't even explain how it felt, to be free of bodily restrictions… and then I was jolted back to life, forced back into a receptacle that restricts me… you have no idea how that feels. A part of me… it feels like part of me died that day, and I don't know if it will ever come back."

Han stared at Indy for a few moments in silence, before pulling her towards him and kissing her. She again, did not respond, but did allow her lips to be pliable. Han kissed her with such fervor and need that Indy thought her heart would break thinking about the pain he must feel due to her behavior.

When he released her, Indy felt the most alive that she had ever felt since her "death."

"Did you feel anything?" he asked her, slightly breathless.

Indy gazed at Han, her eyes wide, but guarded.

"What do you want, Indy? What do you want me to do?! Just say the word and I'll do it for you."

"I just need you to leave me alone, let me do me work," she replied with a sigh.

Han seemed to get very angry. Obviously, he had been expecting a different response from him. His eyes squinted as he puffed his chest out, ready to try and force Indy from her disinterest.

"Fine, you want me to leave?"

"That's not what I said," Indy replied.

"That's sure what I heard."

"Maybe because you are not frackin' listening! If you're so anxious to leave, then just do it!" she screamed in a burst of frustration.

Without a moment's hesitation, Han turned on his heels and left the room, leaving Indy to regret her harsh words.

------------

Rani packed a small bag of belongings as she mentally went over everything that Bao had told her earlier. Apparently, he had figured out that she was heading back to Destrik, and had done everything he could to outfit HK-47 with upgrades that would assist her. Bao-Dur had installed a homing device, a holo-video-recorder and transmitter, a commlink, some new weaponry, and various other helpful functions. Rani had been very impressed that the Zabrak had been able to fit everything inside the droid.

"Suggestion: Shall we find something to kill to cheer ourselves up?"

Rani shook her head at the droid. She did not have to leave just yet, but Rani thought that if she tried to avoid Carth any longer, she would have a nervous breakdown.

"Save it for the battle, HK."

"Statement: I am quite eager to participate in some unadulterated violence."

"Okay, now be quiet, we need to head out of here."

Rani left her room and crept down the hallway. She made it to the courtyard of the Enclave, and the singular tree in the middle took on a pinkish cast as the light of dusk bathed it. Momentarily, entranced by the beauty surrounding her, Rani walked around the tree.

"Admiral, us four will head out tonight to find Mical," Igrayne's voice was so close that Rani jumped with surprise.

Rani glanced around the trunk of the tree and spotted Igrayne, Bao-Dur, Bastila, and Trentyn, all outfitted in robes, and each had a lightsaber hanging from their belt.

As the group blocked her exit, Rani tried to creep back the way she had come, but it was too late.

"Hey, Sis! I was just about to come find you. I'm heading to Korriban with the others," Trentyn said approaching her.

Rani tried to hide her knapsack behind her back, but Tren spotted it.

"Where are you going?" he asked, squinting his eyes in the dim light to try and see her better.

Rani looked at Bao, who looked completely innocent. She doubted he told anyone.

"I… I just…uh…"

"Rani has a mission just like the rest of us," Igrayne started, coming to her rescue.

Apparently, Bao had told someone…

"Mission? What mission?" Carth demanded, staring at Rani.

"Carth, we must go," Igrayne said to the Admiral, "but Rani's mission has been approved, and even sanctioned by the Council."

Rani was surprised to hear this, but happy that Igrayne had taken steps to help her and protect her.

"The Council knows about this?" Carth asked, obviously irritated that he didn't know.

"Yes," Igrayne answered, "Rani is going back to the Sith, with HK's aid, she will perform reconnaissance for the Jedi and for the Republic."

The setting sun did not allow Rani to see the expression on Carth's face.

Igrayne hugged her and murmured some encouraging words in Rani's ear. Tren also embraced his sister, and they left the courtyard along with Bastila and Bao-Dur.

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Carth grabbed Rani forcefully.

"When were you planning on telling me this?" he demanded, his breath hot on her face.

"I wasn't going to," Rani replied calmly.

"Warning: Hurt the master and lose an arm, meatbag!"

HK noisily removed his blaster before Rani yelled out her orders.

"No, HK! I told you you are never to hurt Carth under any circumstances! Go back to my room and power down."

"Statement: Yes, meat-er, Master."

Rani watched the droid leave and rolled her eyes. He always tried to call her meatbag when he was not happy with her orders.

Carth still hadn't released her, and Rani was impressed by his courage. HK-47 was quite intimidating, but Carth had not moved a muscle.

"You are not leaving until we talk about this," he said, his voice under control.

"What is there to talk about? I must go."

Carth's grip loosened. "Why does it have to be you?"

"Destrik believes me to be an innocent, he underestimates me, I am the only one that can get close enough to him that he won't immediately kill," Rani's voice was calm as she tried to explain.

Carth continued to hold her, his warm brown eyes pleading with hers.

"Please, try to understand. I must do this, for my friends, for my brother, for the Republic… for you…" Rani did not want Carth to release her. She could have died content right there, staring into his eyes.

"Come with me," he ordered quietly as he held her hand and led out through the field, and to his private quarters.

"I'll be right back," he said as he left her in his room.

She stood rooted to the spot and heard Carth instruct the guards to not disturb him unless it was a life or death situation.

Rani's heart pounded in her breast as she wondered what Carth was going to do. Would he try and talk her out of leaving? Would he yell at her? Would he tell her he wanted nothing to do with her?

Carth entered the room and shut the door beside him. He did not make a move towards her, and leaned casually against the door, trying to loosen his collar.

Rani watched him unsuccessfully loosen his collar and take off his jacket, which he flung to the side before approaching her. Rani's heartbeat was measured and her breathing steady as Carth sought her forearm with his open palm, pulling her to him.

"Carth—" she said, not understanding. Carth cut off any answer she was going to supply him with.

"No, gorgeous."

"What is this all about?"

She suddenly recounted all of what had just happened--Carth's loosening of his collar, his giving strict orders not to be disturbed, the awkwardness that flooded the room when Carth realized she honestly had no grasp of the situation. All those fears were put to rest when the realization of what was happening dawned on her, and Rani breathed a contented sigh of relief.

_At last,_ she thought, feeling suddenly bashful. Carth was making no attempt to disguise his attention toward her.

He held a finger to her lip to indicate he wanted her to be silent. Rani's mouth parted in a wry grin. Silent was just the opposite of what she intended on being, if both she and Carth were thinking the same thing...

She knew exactly what he had in mind when he took her hand and led her toward the proximity of his bed. It was just big enough for two, Rani noted. It was perfect.

Carth wrapped a strong arm around her, and she melted into his kiss. She couldn't stop herself. Her hands ran through his hair, over his shoulders, and down his body, where they fit snugly into the crook of his back. She felt Carth's arms tighten around her in response. He smelled musky and tasted wonderful. She could hardly get enough of him.

As if sensing that she was already enjoying it too much, Carth pulled away and looked into her eyes, stroking strands of hair over her ear. His warm brown eyes wrinkled at the edges.

"You're beautiful," he said. Rani was truly touched by this statement, especially coming from one so withdrawn as Carth. An admiral in the Republic fleet wasn't exactly the kind to dole out compliments lightly.

Rani closed the distance between them in one short movement, covering his mouth with hers. She could taste the sticky-sweet sensation of him in her mouth. Her senses were being assaulted by his musky scent.

Carth lifted her up in his arms effortlessly and placed her down in the bed before climbing atop her, all without ever breaking the kiss. Rani could never remember a time when she had felt so loved, so protected... Even when the admiral was about to make love to her, he was concerned with whether or not she was comfortable. She noticed him prop up the pillows under her head a time or two before he began undressing.

Rani helped him with each button, her fingers not daring to linger on them any longer than they had to. Carth discarded his standard issue shirt without a second thought, his hands fumbling eagerly with his pants. He probably hadn't the chance to do this since...Morgana. The thought permeated Rani's mind, and she realized that she would have to give him guidance.

"Here, let me," she said, leaning forward to undo his utility belt and free him of his pants in two quick, successive movements. Carth seemed impressed.

"It's a good thing I don't let you dress me every morning," he quipped.

"Shut up and kiss me," she said breathlessly. Carth did so, his breath hot on her face as he struggled with her clothes. All Rani had to cover her was a flimsy recruit's outfit that she had nicked from Igrayne's footlocker. The clothes were more practical than fashionable, but Carth didn't seem to mind either way. If anything, he was grateful for the speed with which they came off.

Rani felt suddenly bare and exposed, but Carth prevented her hands from flying to her shoulders in order to cover up. Ever the gentleman, he kept his eyes focused on her face instead of giving her the once-over. He let his palm flicker under her chin, bringing it up so they could lock eyes.

"Are you all right, gorgeous?"

She smiled sadly, knowing that this could be the last time she saw him. If it was, there were so many thing she wanted to say to him. She didn't have the time to put them all into words, so she answered him with a simple, "Never better."

Carth was placated by her response and continued kissing her. He allowed her to help him out of his black and orange jumpsuit before slipping under the covers with her. She could feel the warmth of his entire body pressed intimately against her in places that set her desire aflame all over again. She kissed him with a need that matched his own, and Carth's resolve was tempted.

He pinned her beneath him, the weight of his body pressed against her belly, giving her a warm sensation inside. It was the closest he had ever been to her. She wanted to remember this moment for years to come.

"Carth, make love to me," she said to him, her eyes wide and pleading. He supported his trembling muscles with one hand, while stroking her face with the other.

His hand drifted down to position himself for his entry. It wasn't quick and painful, like Destrik had been that fateful moment aboard his flagship--when an unwanted child had soon after entered her life. On the contrary, Carth was gentle and loving in a way that Destrik could never be. There had been times, of course, before he was Sith, when the two of them had gotten caught fooling around doing exploratory things to one another's bodies. Carth's touch was unparalleled. Not even the memory of her few happy moments with Destrik could overshadow this moment. All the rest of the galaxy dissolved in that one perfect moment.

Together, they worked up a slow and steady rhythm. Carth took his time with her, wanting to pleasure her fully before releasing inside of her. Rani was surprised by her own need for him. She moved in concert with him, feeling a wave of pleasure overtake her before Carth's speedy release came shortly afterward.

They lay for what seemed like hours, limbs entwined, breathing rough and jagged. Rani felt overheated, and from the look on Carth's face, she could only assume he felt the same. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him in an embrace as he buried his face against her neck.

During the course of the night, in between sleep and fragmented dreams, they made love twice more, each time sweeter than the last. Their proficiency only seemed to grow with each new exploration--Carth was soon intimately acquainted with the right ways to pleasure her in order to get the response he wanted, and so was Rani. For a long time afterward, they basked in love's sweet afterglow, too tired and spent to continue their nighttime activities any longer.

Some time before morning, Carth awoke her with a kiss to the forehead. Rani's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.

"Morning, gorgeous," he said, his hand supporting the weight of his head as he gazed sidelong at her. He looked even better in the morning, when his hair was all messy and his eyes bore tired bags of sleep under them.

"Morning?" she asked with the yawn. "Sun's not up yet. Let's go back to sleep."

Carth looked suddenly, confusingly sad.

"As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer, beautiful, they're calling for you."

Rani sat stark upright in the bed, her legs swung over the side, nearly hitting Carth in the process.

"Who's calling me?"

"The Jedi Council sent me a transmission to have you on your ship by morning."

"Since when have you listened to the Jedi Council?" she asked flirtatiously, cuddling closer to Carth. He was more than happy to oblige her by putting her arms around her and pulling her close.

"Listen, gorgeous, I don't want to get you into any more trouble."

She nibbled at a spot on his jaw. He was already beginning to get shadow all over his face.

"I don't want to go."

"Believe me, neither do I," Carth said, flexing his arms around her. She knew that, in that moment, she would have given anything to stay behind with him. But her word to Destrik was all that mattered now. Carth's life depended on it. Her own life would be meaningless without Carth around to share it with.

"Then give me one good reason I should get up out of bed," she whispered, leaning over him to begin nibbling on his lower lip. Carth's eyes bulged with surprise at the wonderful sensation, and he flipped her over to pin her down in the blankets. She struggled a little with him but didn't want him to loosen his hold on her.

"I can think of one good reason you shouldn't," Carth said, dipping down to taste the hollow at the base of her throat. She shivered at the touch. She was momentarily distracted by a sharp rapping at the door.

"What?" she cried, nearly banging headfirst into Carth when she pushed him off and sat up.

"Master Vrook requests that you meet him at your ship before you are to depart," a young padawan's voice piped in, obviously aware that he had disturbed her at a most inopportune time.

"All right," Rani said in reply, though she was disheartened by this news. It would speed up her morning routine considerably.

As she went about making her preparations to get dressed, Carth watched her from his spot in bed, the blankets drawn around his middle, leaving his chest bare and exposed to her line of view. She tried not to let it distract her as she finished dressing and walked toward the door.

"Leaving without a kiss goodbye, gorgeous?" he teased. Rani smiled and went over to him, knowing that this would be the hardest part of all. She closed her eyes and allowed him to give her one final goodbye kiss. Before she could move off, however, Carth had caught her by the wrist and pulled her back. The strong hold he had on her arm was nothing like the gentle manner in which he had touched her just the night before.

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself," he said huskily, a note of concern in his voice.

"Of course!" Rani replied. "And besides, I have HK to look after me."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Carth said hesitantly. Rani chortled in response.

"I must go," she said. She stuttered a few moments before saying exactly what was on her mind. "I...I love you."

A momentarily pause punctuated the room's stagnant atmosphere. Carth interrupted it with a smile of his own.

"I love you too, Rani."

She kissed him on the forehead.

"And I promise I'll be careful."

"You better," Carth said. "I lost my wife. I'm not losing you, too."

She was truly touched by this declaration, so she favored him with another kiss before turning toward the door.

"Goodbye."

"Come back to me, Rani."

And with that, she exited the room, headed for the ship that was waiting on the landing pad.

----------------

Carina's steps echoed voluminously as she paced down the Sith Academy's corridors. Destrik and his Sith Lords had already eliminated Malak, who had presented quite the threat in the first place. Her family was gone, murdered by the one who had also been recently slain. Revenge had been hers in the long run, but part of her couldn't help but wonder if it'd been worth it.

Destrik and his fellow undead Sith Lords would be back. She did not know when, but she knew that without proper training it would become very difficult to hold her own in a battle against them without the aid of someone else. She had no allies anymore; she'd abandoned her friends and her family was dead.

She was alone.

She could no longer feel guilty about it. In fact, she barely felt anything, as she was practically numb to the world. She'd betrayed those who were once her friends in an attempt to gain what she desperately seeked. And that thing was love. Her family seemed to have been the only ones to give it to her, and now they were gone. She didn't belong with the Sith, nor the Jedi...

She didn't belong. Period.

Her anger was plain and easy to see by the cracks in the walls she passed that she was making through the Force subconsciously. Everything had gone so terribly wrong, and looking back...she knew this was her fault alone. There was no one else to blame and that killed her inside. She had no where to hide, no one to take comfort in now, and it was all her fault.

In the end, when she was seeking so desperately for love, she betrayed her own heart and ended up killing herself slowly in the process. Life was not worth living without love, and Carina knew this deep down. She was a mere shell of what she could have been.

Sith students struggled to stay out of her way as she continued to walk aimlessly in the halls. She hadn't been thinking about it, but now that Malak was dead, and Destrik and his Sith Lords were not around, she was the Master of the Academy. Her...a master? It was unfathomable...especially since she was a Dark Master of the Sith now. Not a Jedi Master as she once had wanted to be.

She didn't want this! She didn't want to be alone, she didn't want all this power. There was no point to it when she had no one to share this life with. Love was a weakness and she knew it, but passion fueled her anger, and she felt that constantly along with hatred.

Her anger was directed mainly at the Jedi, her friends, and herself. The Jedi had started all of this by lying to her and sending her on idiotic missions, as well as her friends for ignoring her...or she thought, for her family had already poisoned her mind against them a while ago.

She was a fool. She was a fool, and she bloody well knew it. She took a seat in her new chamber which had previously belonged to Malak, the Dark Lord of the Sith. It was pretty much inpenetrable from the outside to allow protection and safety for the Master within...which happened to be Carina now.

She tried to sink into the Force, to allow it to wash over her and cleanse her of all her dark, tainted thoughts. Instead, however, it seemed almost scalding as she sunk into the Force...as if it were shaming her for the things she'd done. She deserved no less, but it didn't help calm her.

Carina's eyes snapped back open when she heard a tapping on her door. She rose, lightsaber in hand, and strode purposefully towards the door, prepared to meet any intruder that seeked to usurp her mantle of Dark Lady. She was met with a different sight, however.

Two Sith masters stood, holding a somewhat limp and beat up looking Mical, each holding him by one of his arms. His head was hung low, so she could not see his face. Her eyes and features immediately hardened upon seeing him. She hated him, for everything he'd made her feel...everything he'd done to her.

"What?" she snapped.

"We found this man snooping around the Academy. He looks beat up as is. What should we do with him, Master?" the female one queried.

Carina hesitated: the flaw of compassion. She quickly dismissed the thought. "Take him to the interrogation room."

"Yes, Master. Anything else? Shall we administer some techniques on him to make him reveal what he was doing here?"

"I already know what he was doing here," she said, anger seeping into her voice. "He's a traitor. Do what you will with him, but under no circumstances are you to kill him. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," they replied in unison.

"Very well. Take him away," Carina said, dismissing them with an imperious wave of her hand.

She was enjoying the power she held, and she knew it. But why not? It wasn't as if she had anyone supervising her or telling her what to do. Nor did she have anything else to live for anymore. She resumed her spot on the small meditation seat.

As she sat there, she suddenly felt very dizzy, and a few images flashed through her mind. Images of ships full of Jedi burning and dying as they plummeted into a dying planet. The echoes of thousands of Republic and Mandalorian soldiers screaming, and she could almost feel it inside her head. Almost as if she was there. Then she knew where Destrik was.

_Malachor V_, she thought bitterly. The planet was a cesspit, devoid of all and any life. The perfect spot for a hidden Sith Academy, and the Republic was practically frightened of the planet. It was perfect, and she realized that she should have figured it out sooner.

She quickly grabbed a dark robe that had been left in a nearby footlocker and draped it over herself, giving her skin a paler looking complexion, and bringing out a few dark veins that seemed to have appeared from no where. She hadn't peered in a mirror lately so she did not notice her appearance changing, morphing.

Her eyes no longer held their emerald green brightness, but they were dim and reddened due to lack of sleep and the acts of murder she'd recently committed. Her skin was pale, and her once brown hair was now a lighter shade, gray shooting throughout it. The dark side had taken a hold of her heart, and thus changed her body and mind.

"Ready my ship," she ordered a Sith student who rushed off to do her bidding.

Soon her small, newly renovated Jedi Starfighter--that had now become a Sith Starfighter-- was ready for departure. She walked slowly up to it, her hand tracing along the cool feel of the steel on the outside. This was her transportation to victory.

If she won this battle with Destrik, there would be no one strong enough left to oppose her. She would be able to rule the Galaxy unopposed, unquestioned. She would end all the pathetic attempts the Republic had made to have peace. Under her rule, there would be peace...or there would be endless suffering. She was not going to stand for endless debates from bickering senators. They would listen, or they would die. It was that simple.

She slid into the seat of her fighter, her hands roaming over its familiar controls. She had always enjoyed a good space battle, but this time...there would most likely be no space battle, only a battle that would determine the fate of the Galaxy.

The cockpit closed slowly, sealing her within the ship as she fired it up and prepared to enter hyperspace shortly after. After entering hyperspace, she sunk into deep meditation...leaving all her worries with her subconscious and focusing on nothing but the coming battle...

--------------------------

As Rani sat within the small Sith transport and watched the small farming planet of Dantooine begin to drift away, she could almost feel her heart breaking. She was leaving Carth, even when she was doing it to protect him...it still hurt regardless.

It hurt because she loved him.

She loved Carth Onasi, and no matter what anyone said or did, it would never changed that fact. Affairs of the heart could never be predicted, but Rani was glad that she had had this one chance at happiness with him. Although it made it hard to leave him, it gave her hope in the coming time with Destrik.

How such a good man could become so evil in such a short amount of time was amazing, and she almost felt the need to mourn for his soul that was lost...the soul that had been a good and caring one. The soul of the man she'd once thought she'd fallen in love with.

Now she saw how wrong she was. Carth was a good man, and everything about him warmed her heart. His touch ignited a fire within her like Destrik's never did, and her heart would forever belong to the pilot.

The jolt from entering hyperspace shook her out of her thoughts, and her eyes drifted away from the small viewport and to the rusty orange droid sitting adjacent to her.

"How are you doing, HK?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Sarcastic statement: Oh, I am just well, Master. I have been forbidden to kill any meatbags and am being dragged across the vastness of space in a small, confined metal tube," he replied.

Rani rolled her eyes. "Good to hear it, HK. At least one of us is staying positive."

"Revealing answer: Master, I was merely being sarcastic," HK replied, as he realized he was going against his programming by lying to Rani.

"I know that, HK. I'm not an idiot," she said, giggling at HK's attitude.

"Indignant reply: Why of course you are not, Master," HK said.

Rani became silent after that, her thoughts returning to Carth and Dantooine. Before she had left, she had been called before the Jedi Council and given an important task...

_Rani entered the Enclave's doors and immediately felt uneasy. Perhaps she was worried they would make some comment on her relationship with Carth. She doubted that they knew about it...but then again, Jedi seemed to be very observant. She hoped they wouldn't decide to pry into her thoughts._

Slipping past the doors that led into the main meeting room, she discovered the Jedi Council sitting in their respective seats. Each had an intense gaze on Rani and it made her slightly nervous. Jedi always had a trick or two up their sleeves, and for them to grant her an audience was highly unusual...so she decided that she best keep her wits about her during the following conversation.

"Greetings, Rani. We have called you here today in the hopes that you are willing to assist us in a matter of great importance," Vrook's voice rang out among them, and Rani could tell how tired the old Jedi Master was.

"Of course, Master," Rani replied respectfully.

"You are going to meet with Destrik, aren't you?" he queried, leaning forward in his seat.

"Yes, Master."

"As much as it pains you to do so, you go up against danger and do not flinch. It is a trait most admirable," Zhar stated from his seat. "That is why we will need you to accomplish this task we are about to ask you."

Rani was getting a bad feeling about this. "What are you talking about?"

Vrook slipped a small phial out of his robes and placed it into Rani's hand. "It is a poison not known to most in the Galaxy. It is extremely lethal in a very small dose...which guarantees success the first time it is used."

Rani's eyes looked over the small phial. "Wait a minute...you want me to—"

"Poison Destrik...and therefore, save the Galaxy," Vrook finished in a powerfully convincing voice.

"I can't," Rani said almost instantly. "He is not alone, he has allies...they will kill not only myself but all of my friends if something were to happen to Destrik."

Zhar's features softened. "It is a great risk we are asking you to take. We will understand if you do not wish to do it. There is enough there to poison any amount of allies, just slip it into a food source...or a drink. It can also be absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. Do not open it until you are ready to administer the lethal dose."

Rani did not flinch at the prospect but she doubted she could accomplish this without losing her friends. But if she was successful, that could mean an end to a lot of people's suffering.

"I'll do it," she said at last. "But there is something else, Masters."

"Yes, Rani?" Vrook asked.

"Destrik is not the only danger. There is someone else," Rani said, taking a breath. "Carina has fallen as well, although she has no intentions of joining Destrik."

"This we are already aware of," Zhar stated. "It is a terrible blow to the Jedi Order, but we will deal with it in due time."

Rani's face hardened at this. "Deal with it?"

"She is too dangerous to be kept alive," Vrook said coldly.

"So you are going to kill her?!" Rani cried out. "That's not...it's not moral!"

Even though Carina betrayed her, Rani knew the good person that was her friend was still hidden somewhere in Carina's heart and she didn't want anything bad to happen to her friend.

"This is a matter best left for the Jedi Council, Rani. You have your own mission to deal with," Vrook replied snappishly.

His tone dared her to argue with him, so she quickly turned on her heels and left. Before she exited, however, Vrook imparted one more statement on her.

"Do not fail. The Galaxy depends on your success."

Rani had to fight back the hot tears that threatened to spill down her face. The following days were going to prove to be extremely difficult. She was already missing Carth terribly, and she knew that she had to do this—to stay strong—for him. For the Galaxy.

She would _not_ fail.

"HK, begin a holo transmission for me," Rani said as the small Sith transport flew closer to the vast ship that floated over Malachor.

"Statement: Yes, Master, you may begin now," the droid said as he faced her.

Rani took a deep breath and stared into HK's eyelights, where Bao-Dur had instructed her to look when making such transmissions. She wondered if Carth would be there to see it, or even if the Council would show him later.

"Destrik's ship is waiting to land on Malachor V. My best guess is that he intends to return himself and Freedon Nadd to full power here. My ship will be boarding his shortly, and I will initiate contact again once I am able to."

Rani's voice was surprisingly strong despite the circumstances. Malachor V always just had been a faraway planet to her, one where terrible things happened that she never cared to think about.

A small holo image of Master Vrook appeared and answered her.

"Yes, we see where you are by HK-47's homing device. Make sure you keep him near you at all times. And remember your instructions. May the Force be with you."

Vrook's parting words echoed in Rani's mind as she struggled to keep her rising fear under control. A part of her wished that she was Force-sensitive. Why did Tren have to be the one to get it?

HK-47 went back to manning the controls. Destrik had not said a thing to her, he had merely sent his coordinates.

Rani felt very unprepared for her mission. Who was she to have such heavy responsibility placed on her slender shoulders? Just a couple months ago, she was just a common, everyday citizen, and now, now she was expected to help save the galaxy.

A slight bump signaled to Rani that her ship had docked.

"Remember everything I told you, HK, please," Rani said pleadingly to the tall droid. She still did not entirely trust him, but he was all she had here, and imperative to her mission.

"Encouraging statement: Of course, Master."

HK had said little to Rani during the trip, almost as if he had sensed her apprehension and her need to gather her courage.

Rani and HK left the transport, and Dustil Onasi was waiting for them in the docking bay.

"Mistress, I am glad to see you have returned," Dustil said while dipping his head slightly in a sort of bow.

Dustil looked as if he truly was happy to see her, even if his manner was restrained, and he had a sort of bewildered look in his eye. Rani wondered just how much had happened in her absence.

"Dustil, I wish I could say the same," Rani replied, with a curious look.

"Master Destrik requests your presence immediately…alone," Dustil replied, ignoring her silent question.

"HK, will come with me," Rani said.

"Your droid will wait for you in your quarters," Dustil replied.

It was obvious to Rani that she could not argue, so she obligingly followed Dustil. HK was lead away, but only after Rani ordered him to do so.

Rani kept her eyes peeled to the ground as she was lead into Destrik's quarters. Even after Dustil left and closed the door behind him, Rani stared at the lush rug she was now standing on.

"Look at me, Rani," Destrik ordered. His voice had changed. It echoed with power.

Rani gasped when she finally looked at Destrik. Although he was dressed in black Sith robes, his face showed none of the taint of the dark side. At first glance, he looked just as he had when Rani had fallen in love with him.

"I see it is easier for you to look upon me now," Destrik said, noticing that her eyes were glued to his face. 

Disappointment welled up in Rani when she realized that the dark side was very strong within Destrik, regardless of his normal appearance. Upon closer inspection, Rani saw the evil intensity behind his hazel eyes, and an aura of darkness surrounded him. 

Destrik walked towards Rani, his steps slow and menacing.

"Returning to me is the most intelligent decision you have ever made," he said.

"That is yet to be seen," Rani replied, her chest tight.

Destrik whipped back his hand and it started toward Rani. She ducked and covered her face with her hands, waiting for the blow to fall. It never did. Destrik's hollow laughter reverberated throughout the room, shaking the furniture.

"Your mock bravery amuses me. You have nothing to worry about now, darling. You are my consort, and I will treat you as you deserve to be treated. I will do nothing to mar your beauty." 

His hand traveled down the side of her face, in what should have been a tender gesture. It only chilled Rani to the bone.

"Why do you tremble, darling? Are you not pleased to see me?"

A harsh laugh emitted from Rani's throat.

"We both know why I am here, Destrik. My body may be next to you, but my heart is elsewhere."

"You choose to be honest?" Destrik said, looking almost bored.

Rani could barely feel the whisper of his mind encroaching on hers. Not knowing what else to do, she consumed her mind with images of the night before, the night she spent with Carth.

"You betrayed me, Rani? That was a bold move," he said once he had his fill of her sensual memories.

Rani was relieved, her defensive move had worked, and he had no idea of her deceitful plans. She merely shrugged in response, too mentally exhausted at the moment.

Destrik pinned Rani against the wall, his body against hers.

"I will conquer you, Rani. Mind, body, heart…you will be mine, just as the galaxy will."

"Oh, and how will you do that, Destrik, without violating me, battering me, like you have?" Rani felt petulant, and she spoke more than was prudent.

Destrik released her and smiled at her knowingly before the wave hit Rani. She doubled over, but not in pain. Her body seemed innervated and hypersensitive, like she had felt when Carth touched her, but without the satisfied warmth in her heart. A pleasant fire ignited in Rani's loins, and she felt animalistic as the needs of her body exploded.

Destrik grabbed her yet again, and he let his lips travel up Rani's shoulder to the sensitive parts of her neck. The need in her body caused her to respond, moaning softly as he begun to remove her clothes. Every thought fled from her mind as the desire that Destrik had stirred up inside of her through the Force continued to grow.

He threw her on the bed, stripping off his robes and bearing his tanned chest. Rani pulled him down onto her as he approached the bed, wrapping her legs around him and forcing his hips against hers. Rani was forced to shut her eyes as her need grew to heights that were almost painful. Caught up in the moment, Rani bit Destrik's shoulder. He didn't even flinch as he quickly removed the rest of her clothes. Rani growled and ripped Destrik's underclothes, tossing them to the side.

"Yes, darling, I will conquer you," he said huskily as he pushed her down on the bed and prepared to enter her.

Rani wrapped her arms around Destrik's neck. "Carth," she moaned.

Destrik's body stiffened and he paused. It was enough time for Rani to hear her own confession, and she slid out from under him as the mental Force hold he had on her shattered.

-----------------

The halls of the ship were eerily quiet as Carina stalked them. She reached out through the Force, searching for others on Destrik's ship. Something wasn't right, there were few on the ship, and she could not sense Destrik nor any of the Sith Lords he had resurrected.

She scoffed as she realized why it had been so easy to board the ship. Right before she stopped her concentration with the Force, she sensed a familiar presence. A stiff smile tugged on her lips as she hungered for revenge.

Her steps were no longer wary as she swiftly made her way to where she had sensed her friend. The door in front of her was closed and locked, and Carina did not hesitate to sink the hot blade of her lightsaber into the metal. Once the door was open, Carina's eyes met with the frightened dark ones of her friend.

"How nice to see you again," Carina said as she approached Rani with her lightsaber still drawn.

"What are you doing here?!" Rani cried, hiding something behind her back.

"I'm finishing something I should have done a long time ago," Carina answered, preparing to kill her unarmed friend.

"Advisory: It is not possible to destroy the master. It is suggested that you run while my blaster warms up."

Carina's head reeled around as she put her lightsaber up in time to deflect HK's blaster bolt.

She answered in kind by Force pushing the assassin droid, causing him to bang loudly against the wall. HK was still on the floor as Carina leapt towards him, fully intending on destroying the droid. 

Instead, Rani got in the way, placing her body between Carina and HK. The move stayed Carina's hand. Why was Rani risking her life for a droid?

"You act as if you want me to kill you!" Carina exclaimed in frustration. Rani was not giving her the satisfaction of running and pleading like she wanted.

"I know that you won't," Rani replied, determination flashing in her eyes.

"Those are brave words for a schutta cantina dancer like yourself," Carina replied, trying to hide her hesitation.

"Declaration: I think she is making fun of you, Master. Shall I proceed with wasting the meatbag?"

Rani didn't move her eyes away from Carina, but she was relieved the HK was still functioning. Without him, her connection to her friends would be lost.

"No, HK, you… you are not to kill Carina. She is my friend," Rani answered, her eyes bearing into Carina's.

Shame welled up inside of Carina. Even in such a precarious situation as this, Rani refused to fight Carina, even though it seemed like Rani's only chance at survival.

"Confused statement: Master, if you keep friends such as these, I doubt you will live for long."

"Sometimes, HK, we must sacrifice for the ones we love," Rani replied, her eyes still locked on Carina.

Carina cursed inwardly. How could such a weak and powerless person like Rani challenge her confidence?

"Why are you protecting the droid?" Carina asked. Her lightsaber was still raised, but she currently had no desire to strike Rani.

Rani bit her lip as she always did when she was deciding something.

"HK is my only ally here," she said vaguely.

"I care not whom you are in league with," Carina replied, "only that you are not on my side."

Rani seemed to get angry at this statement, setting her jaw in a tight line before responding.

"I have always been on your side, Carina. I believe the woman that is my friend is still inside of you, fighting against the darkness."

"Ha! You will turn around and betray me, just like everyone else has."

"You are the one who has betrayed us," Rani replied in a small voice.

Carina inactivated her lightsaber, but kept it in her hand.

_There is nothing to gain from killing her anyway, you are here for Destrik_, Carina rationalized to herself.

"Where is Destrik?" Carina asked Rani, not really expecting a straight answer.

"He is on Malachor. I overheard something about a temple there. His power has vastly grown and it will only increase more there! There is more…he has resurrected other Sith Lords… they will be restored to their original power there."

Rani told Carina everything she knew. She was desperate to have Destrik stopped. His power was dizzying, and with the others by his side, Rani had no doubt that he would easily take over the galaxy.

Carina's predictions were confirmed. She had a suspicion that Destrik's reason to be on Malachor would involve his new specter friends.

Carina turned around, surprised that she could not find it in her to slay Rani. 

"Where are you going?" Rani called after her.

"To stop them," Carina replied.

"You will be killed!" Rani cried.

Carina swiveled around to face her friend once more.

"Just be careful," Rani cautioned.

Carina strode from the room as fast as she could, trying her hardest to remove the concerned face of her friend from her mind. She reached the docking bay, and her fighter, but collapsed on the floor.

Carina sobbed loudly as images ran through her mind, images of those she used to call her friends, those she used to love, those who she abandoned because she believed they cared nothing for her. 

Eventually, Carina picked herself off of the floor. She believed she had traveled too far down this path, and she felt that she could not simply go back to her old life. No, she had made her mistake and now she was alone. Still emotionally shaken, Carina swung into her vehicle and flew down to the broken surface of Malachor V.

-------------

"Inquiry: Master, would you like me to transmit the record of your meatbag _friend's_ visit?"

Rani held the small phial in her hand. She should be trying to think of a way to plant the poison, but instead her mind was consumed with guilt. Had she sent Carina to her death? Rani hoped that Carina would fly away from Destrik, and away from danger, or at least be cautious when she tried to stop them. Carina's power was admirable, but even with her power, she would not be able to defeat Destrik and the other Sith Lords.

"No, HK, do not transmit that to the Council."

"Gentle reminder: But, Master, you were given direct orders to report on any important incidences."

"I know HK, but I decided that the Jedi Council does not need to know this," Rani replied.

"Happy declaration: Master, you are not following the rules! I am very proud of you!"


	38. Meltdown at Trayus Core

"R7, I'm picking up some peculiar readings from the planet's surface. Can you pinpoint where those readings are coming from?" Carina asked in a voice that was less angry than usual. Her astromech droid that she'd recently been reacquainted with was as close to a friend as she had left, so she didn't feel the need to try and strike fear into its mechanical circuits.

The R7 unit worked quickly to find the answer to its master's query. It replied with a series of short blips and beeps and Carina used the readout screen to understand the majority of what it was saying.

"That's not possible, R7. Everything was destroyed during the Mandalorian Wars. No buildings would have remained intact, no matter how sturdy. The Mass Shadow Generator would have demolished everything."

The droid replied with a series of defiant beeps.

"I know the readings aren't lying...I just have difficulty believing them," Carina replied, exasperated. "Check the readings again."

R7 made a frustrated sounding beep before attempting to recalculate the readings. Carina could swear that the droid had a mind of its own, and even a personality to match her own. In her cold heart, she still had a soft spot for the little droid. R7 quickly did as he had been requested and then gave his reply.

Carina frowned. "All right, R7, you better be right on this one. I don't want to have wasted my fuel on a trip to the wrong side of this Force-forsaken planet."

R7 beeped indignantly.

"I know I should have listened to you the first time. No need to rub it in. Sheesh." Carina said, rolling her eyes.

The rest of the trip down to Malachor V's surface was silent, with the exception of the occasional crackle of lightening or rumble of thunder. Malachor's surface had been reduced to a seemingly desolate planet, with storms constantly raging above. Carina did not know what to expect after landing, so she did some quick checks on the air quality and whether she would be able to travel its surface without being reduced to ash.

After the readouts came back positive, she prepared her ship for landing. Already, she could feel how strong the dark side was on the planet. It's presence was easily detected...and she fed off of it. It made her feel powerful, and power was now her only ally, her constant companion along with hatred and grief. She buried all these emotions behind her greed for power so they would not become a hindrance to her later.

The ship landed with a sickening thunk, and R7 beeped in fear. She could detect living creatures not too far from her ship, and so she quickly attached her lightsaber to her waist for quick access, should she need to dispatch these creatures. Carina had not anticipated the fact that there could still be living creatures of the dead planet's surface...for she had assumed everything had been completely destroyed during the Wars.

She had been wrong, and it had not been the first time today.

"R7, how far away is the structure we detected?" Carina queried.

R7 beeped indignantly.

Carina sighed. "Alright, the structure _you_ detected?"

A small piece of paper rose up from one of her displays and she quickly read it. Several miles. It would be a long walk to the academy, but it would be better if she kept the element of surprise on her side. She doubted that Destrik or his Sith lords would detect her due to how strong the dark side ran in such a place. She would blend in perfectly, and with her dark cloak on...she doubted anyone would see her either.

R7 began to roll after her but she quickly looked condemningly back at it. "Stay with the ship, R7."

It made a sad whistle before rolling back to the fighter.

Carina quickly made her way to the Academy, preserving her energy for the fight to come. Malachor V was more and less than she had expected. It's terrain was mountainous, and the constant green lightening that flashed over gave an eerie green glow to the ground upon which she walked. Moans, growls, and groans could constantly be heard...but whether they were made by the restless souls of dead Mandalorians and Republic soldiers—or something else—remained to be seen.

A rapid movement off to her left caught her eye and she avoided being knocked ajar by a large claw. One of the creatures she had detected earlier had just attempted to halt her way to the Academy. Her lightsaber was out in an instant and slicing through the creatures thick hide, and it made one last screech before toppling over, dead. Her lightsaber shrank back into the hilt.

It had been so easy to kill that creature. Taking other living things lives was becoming more and more easy for Carina to do, and it was beginning to make her sick. She was no longer the good person she once was, no matter what anyone else believed or said. She'd traveled a dark road for long enough...and now there would be no going back, regardless. Her intentions had started out harmless, but now she was carrying the fate of the Galaxy with her.

She wrapped her cloak around her tighter, using it as her last barrier against the bitter wind. It chilled her to the bone. In fact, the _whole planet_ chilled her to the bone. Something about Malachor V just wasn't natural. It was as if so many lives were lost just to preserve the darkness this planet kept. Malachor V was consuming souls, lives greedily and she hoped that she would not be another lost live; a sacrifice to the hungry planet.

Rani's voice kept going through her head. Rani had believed that there was still good in her. She was wrong, she _had_ to be wrong. There was nothing left for her but to wander in the darkness she had helped create. She was to far gone to be saved...and perhaps she was just another lost soul that Malachor V had devoured. The good person within her died when she chose to follow her family instead of stay with her friends.

She bowed her head as she continued her quiet and subtle walk toward the academy; it wouldn't be far now. She could feel the hot tears trickling down her pale face, and she couldn't stop them. What had she done? What was she planning to do? It was an idiotic plan, and she knew she could very well be going to her death, yet every step moved her closer towards her fate.

And she did not choose to stop walking.

-------------------

"You must try and restrain yourself in public, Trentyn. It is not appropriate behavior," Bastila reprimanded the young man. However, she knew Trentyn was listening by the way he merely nodded and smiled. Who knew what he was thinking about? Bastila couldn't resist the urge to pry into his mind, if only to make sure he wasn't thinking inappropriate thoughts.

"Tren!" she exclaimed when she heard the vulgar content of what he was thinking.

Trentyn smiled triumphantly. "That'll teach you to go into my mind, babe. Not that I mind. In fact, you can go anywhere you like."

Bastila rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt at flirtation. He was just as bad as Atton. But thinking about that scoundrel of a man reminded her of Evy. She pitied the woman who was so confused and torn between what she loved. Bastila had not intended to make her deal with such a difficult decision, but she had had no choice. The Jedi Council could not afford to lose one so connected to the Force as Evy was.

"So we're going to Korriban, right?" he asked.

Bastila nodded. "I sense a great disturbance emanating from that planet. Though it does seem to be fading..."

"Isn't there _always_ a disturbance coming from Korriban?" Trentyn pointed out. "I mean, it is a planet of darkness, after all."

"This one is different," Bastila replied coldly. "And I fear that Mical has gotten himself into a bit of a tight spot."

Trentyn snorted. "You can say that again."

"Do not mock him. He was merely following the Council's orders." _And attempting to bring back the one he loved from darkness..._ Bastila thought sadly. Mical, even though a very dedicated member of the Order, still could not help himself. He loved Carina, and it was plain to see as the rising suns on Tatooine.

"Hey, don't get uptight with me. I was merely making a comment." Trentyn defended.

"Yes, but it was not warranted nor welcome." Bastila replied in her usual tone.

Trentyn smoothly wrapped an arm around Bastila's waist, catching her off guard. "Something wrong, sweets?"

Bastila shoved him away. "Please, do not call me that."

His grin turned devious. "And why not?"

"It is not appropriate."

"You need a new catchphrase, sweetheart," Trentyn said, maintaining a serious expression on his face.

"Hope I'm not interrupting..." Igrayne began, catching up to the two in the hallway.

"You are," Tren said quickly, but Bastila nudged him uncharacteristically.

"No, of course not. Please continue, Igrayne."

"The Council has requested our presence immediately," she informed.

"What for?" Tren asked.

"Most likely about our trip to Korriban," Igrayne replied. "They say it's important."

"It always is..." Tren muttered under his breath.

"We shall be right there," Bastila said, nodding.

"You two can go chat with the old men, but I, for one, am not going," Trentyn said, refusing to go on trial in front of the Council.

Bastila arched an eyebrow. "And whatever for, Tren? You are not _frightened_ of them, are you?"

He frowned. Igrayne smiled at the two. They just seemed to enjoy bickering with each other.

"Nice try, _babe_. But I'll pass on getting interrogated by the Council," he replied defiantly.

Bastila merely shrugged, and turned on her heels to head towards the Council chambers. Igrayne followed suit, glancing once back at Trentyn who looked very disappointed for some reason. He quickly turned and headed the opposite direction.

Igrayne knew there had to be something between those two...there _had_ to be.

--------------------

The door slid open with a quiet whooshing sound, and Carina stepped past the threshold into the academy. She was met with a blast of dark power, and it almost brought her to her knees. The dark side was stronger in this place than anywhere she'd ever been before. It came at her in overwhelming waves, and it fueled and weakened her at the same time. She had to fight to keep her wits about her, and not get completely washed away with the dark side of the Force.

She ran her hand along the smooth edges of the wall, trying to sense anything that would lead her to Destrik's position. She could almost sense the dark man stalking the corridors, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. He was stronger than before, and this she knew. She hoped the Dark Side in this place would help fuel her own strength as well. She was now starting to doubt her own strength.

He knew she was here.

He could sense it.

Carina's hand brushed up against the hilt of her lightsaber, prepared to withdraw it at any given moment. She quickly made her way towards the main chamber in the Academy. She didn't know how, but she knew where everything was. It was almost as if she'd been here before...but that wasn't possible. Her head ached as powerful emotions blasted through the air, through the Force. The Sith Lords were being restored to power even as she crept stealthily towards her target.

If they gained back their full power, she knew there would be no escape from this dark prison. Going to her death did not frighten her as much as it once did, for she had no point in living anymore. She touched her head to soothe it and stop its throbbing. This place was tainted, and that in itself was an understatement. It was like a giant, dark hole that was consuming everything around it.

"Carina, I should have know it would be you to attempt to find me," a cold voice rang out behind her.

She turned around just in time to watch her lightsaber meet Destrik's in a clash of light. His eyes held an empty, dark expression that showed just how far he had fallen as well. The man, although he looked human in all aspects, was now merely a part of the Dark Side. He was filled with only murderous emotions...and it was not a shock to Carina that he had totally surrendered himself to the ways of the Dark Side.

"Not attempt to find you. I have come to kill you," Carina growled.

"Bold words from an outmaneuvered opponent," Destrik said, his smile defining his face. It was not a friendly smile, however, and it frightened Carina somewhat. "I believe you will be the only one dying this day."

"Only in your mind, Destrik," Carina hissed defiantly. She would not show fear, nor would she hesitate to kill him if she was given the chance.

He pushed against his lightsaber, forcing Carina's own closer to her own face...dangerously close.

"Are you frightened?" he queried.

Carina glared at him. "Not of you."

"You should be," he replied in a dangerously low tone of voice.

Their lightsabers twirled in a flurry of light and sound, constantly clashing with each other. The red lights emitted from each saber cast faint crimson marks on the walls. It was as if they were trapped in a deadly dance, lightsabers whirling around them, constantly missing their mark. Carina's breathing did not falter, and she drew off her anger and hate and used it on Destrik. In turn, Destrik did the same and he had more allies with him. Carina knew she was fighting a losing battle.

"You're a fool, just as your family was," Destrik breathed heavily. "What do you hope to gain from this?"

"Power," Carina replied without hesitation.

Destrik sniffed. "You will never grasp the meaning of power...the _true_ meaning of power."

"That is what you think," she said angrily.

Their lightsabers met once again, as they had before, and he quickly made a desperate move to make her lose her balance. Unfortunately for Carina, he succeeded in doing this for she had not been expecting it. At once she found herself on the ground, with Destrik's hand at her throat but she managed to use the Force to throw him back against the wall, leaving herself gasping for breath.

That had been too close.

Destrik was quickly up once again, however, and charging Carina in his fury. Carina was astonished by his power and wrath. His moves were spontaneous, rapid. She had trouble keeping up with them and quickly leapt out of the way of his lightsaber's large arc. She could see the hatred in Destrik's empty eyes. How such a man could become to evil was beyond her. But then again, she had also taken a similar path.

"You're afraid," Destrik taunted.

"I fear no one."

"You fear yourself," he replied quietly, in a seductive tone of voice.

Her eyes hardened. "Less talking, more fighting...unless you're willing to surrender now. I'd be happy to oblige your request and end your life."

Destrik laughed coldly. "Not likely, Carina. Not _likely_."

----------------------

Vrook frowned. "It is too risky."

"We cannot leave the boy to torment and death," Zhar pointed out.

"Agree with Master Zhar, I do. Assigned this mission to him, we did. Perhaps hastily, as well," Vandar pondered aloud.

Vrook shook his head. "It is foolhardy to send a few of our most loyal and strong Jedi to Korriban to rescue a man that could already be dead."

Vandar's features hardened. "Know he is not dead, we do. Failed, he has."

"We owe him our assistance, Master Vrook," Zhar stated.

Vrook was still unconvinced, but his resolve was caving. "I do not agree with this course of action. However, he could prove useful in the future, and you are right, Master Vandar. He is under our responsibility. We should have known he would not be able to do as we requested. Now we have another problem on our hands."

"As if we did not have enough," Dorak added. The chronicler of the Order was displeased with the whole situation, as were the lot of them.

"I suggest we send someone else, someone strong enough in the Force to capture—and if need be, terminate—Carina." Resounding silence pursued Vrook's statement. "We know she is too dangerous to leave alive."

"Deserve death, she does not. Do this, we _cannot_," Vandar disagreed vehemently.

Vrook's displeasure was apparent in his features. "Then what do you suggest we do, Master Vandar? Surely she will become too much of a threat if left unattended to."

"Perhaps a Master should attempt to find and turn her," Dorak offered.

"But who?" Zhar replied. "…And even if this Master could reach her, she would not listen, I fear."

"She was always too hardheaded to listen, even when she was a padawan," Vrook reminisced.

"Now, the time is not. Deal with this, in due time we will," Vandar said upon sensing Igrayne and Bastila approaching. The two Jedi entered the room and immediately bowed courteously to the Masters.

"You summoned us, Masters?" Bastila began.

"Yes, Jedi Bastila, we have received news that you intend to go rescue your friend, Mical," Zhar said.

Igrayne remained silent, feeling it best to let Bastila deal with the Council.

"Yes, Master Zhar. We believe he is in great danger," Bastila explained. "There is a great disturbance in the Force on Korriban, and we wish also to investigate that."

"Sensed this, we have," Vandar agreed. "Save your friend, you must."

Vrook shot him a look of disbelief. They could very well get themselves killed. It was foolhardy.

"Be careful, young Jedi," he added harshly.

"Thank you, Masters," Bastila said, bowing low, and Igrayne did the same.

Both turned on their heels and quickly left to prepare for their departure to the dark planet of Korriban...

-------------

"There is a disturbance in the Force, Master."

"How dare you interrupt my meditation!" Eklipse yelled at his student. He was back in his secret Sith academy on Argai, the home planet of his "father," Xim the Despot. He began to Force choke the source of the interruption.

"Now give me a reason to spare your life," he said in a chilling voice, "or it will be forfeit."

"There is a large amount of dark side energy coming from Malachor V."

"Ready my ship, we are going to Malachor. I have sensed it, too. That much energy can only mean all of my rivals are there. Now. With a swift strike, they will all die, and I will have the galaxy within my reach. Get my strongest followers onto the _Corruption_ immediately." He then released his hold on the student's throat, who began choking for air.

When he had enough oxygen in his lungs to speak, he replied, "Yes, Master."

--------------

Back on Dantooine, Mithic detected a great disturbance in the Force. On Malachor V, much dark side energy was to be found—more than usual. And on Argai, a planet which had been clouded to him, he saw a concentration of dark side energy, but the source seemed to be moving onto a starship. The fact that he could see this clearly across the galaxy told him just how powerful the energy was. He waited and watched Argai for a few moments, and the source disappeared. But the Dark Side never truly disappears. He sensed it in hyperspace going towards Malachor. He feared who might be there, but knew he must stop them. He readied his gear to leave. However, he needed a ship. He asked a passing recruit where the admiral was. Apparently, he was still in his quarters. The recruit pointed out where the admiral's room was, and Mithic went to the door and knocked on it. Carth Onasi, a man he respected and admired, opened the door, still in his bedclothes, face covered in tears. The sight of such a great man reduced to such a lowly manner sickened Mithic. Carth quickly stated, obviously annoyed that of all people, Mithic had disturbed him, "What do you want?"

"I wish to borrow a ship. Are there any starfighters with a hyperdrive in the hanger that I can borrow?"

"I think there's a starchaser in there. If it is, take that one. Now leave me alone!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, what's with you anyway?"

"None of your damn business, now go away!"

Mithic went to the hangar to find an old R-41 starchaser lying in the corner of the hangar. He disabled the security, logged his departure, and left the planet.

On Malachor, Mithic stepped out of his starchaser. On the way in, he concentrated on pinpointing the source of the darkness. It was coming from a building on the surface. It seemed to be the only building on the planet, but he had no idea why. He seemed to have beaten the ship from Argai here. He landed fairly close to the structure, but on the way, he encountered four large, hulking reptilian creatures, who each looked more menacing than the last. He drew his lightsaber and blaster. Two shots was all it took to waste the first creature. The others then charged him. One went down when Mithic slashed at its neck before it could strike him. The next he held in place with the Force, and the last, he forced to attack the one in stasis. Soon the fight was one to one. It got an attack on him, but he sidestepped the blow and took a swing with his lightsaber, killing the creature instantly.

He continued his path to the large structure in the distance. The closer he got, the bigger it seemed. The tides of darkness raged within the building. He would cleanse the taint from this planet and save the galaxy from this evil. At the gates, he found an easy entrance, as the door was already open. Someone had recently arrived. He began to explore the building, but soon heard the sound of lightsaber-to-lightsaber contact, and knew a fight was going on. He crept slowly and silently towards the sounds. The sight before him was two beings—each very strongly attuned to the dark side of the Force—battling each other, obviously for power. He decided to call their attention to himself.

"What is the meaning of this battle?" he yelled to get his voice over the loud swinging of lightsabers. He used the Force to hold both combatants in place.

"Put me down!" the woman yelled to Mithic, obviously startled by his presence in this place.

"Who _are_ you anyway?" the man asked.

"I am John Mithic, agent of the Republic. I have come to cleanse the taint of dark side filth from this area."

"Just for that 'filth' remark, I'm going to have to kill you now," the man replied.

"That is _if_ you can move. Convince me why I should let either of you leave short of inside coffins."

"I don't have to, I'll just break your hold!" the man yelled as he jumped from Mithic's hold on him, leaping toward him.

As this happened, he stunned the woman and placed her by the wall, and drew his weapons. As the man charged at him, he shot him with his blaster, but it was a glancing blow, and the man neither stopped nor flinched. The energy in the room was astounding—white and red light colored the walls as the two men fought. The other man let his guard down for the slightest second, but Mithic saw it. He took a shot to the man's stomach, and he doubled over, grasping his wound.

"I am…beaten," he said weakly. "Please, spare me. I must look upon the eyes of my one true love before I die."

Mithic pitied the man and granted his request. "You will tell me where to find her, and I will bring you to her. My ship carries only myself, however. Have your men bring you back to your planet—Korriban, I assume—and you will be buried. I still sense the dark side in this place. Who else is here?"

"Beings that you could never dream of facing," he said. "They are my masters."

Mithic ignited his lightsaber. "You will tell me!" he exclaimed as he lowered the tip to the man's throat.

"I will not."

"Then you will die."

Mithic pressed the tip slightly into the man's throat. It was enough to kill him.

Just then, the woman was freed from Mithic's stasis.

"What have you done to him? _I_ wanted to kill him!"

"I'm sorry, but what's done is done. By the way, who was he?"

"No one important to an 'agent of the Republic' like yourself. Especially after he's dead."

"Well, who are you?"

"I am called Carina."

"I sense the light in you, Carina. You have not completely forsaken it. Come back to the light side of the Force, it is not too late for you!"

At that moment, the ceiling caved in on the structure. A large blast went through to the floor. Mithic jumped to save Carina, but she was buried in the rubble. As he was ready to remove it from her, he heard a chuckle from behind him.

"Always trying to save people, huh, 'brother'?"

He turned around to face Eklipse, standing before him, lightsaber drawn and ignited. The familiar black glow illuminated the room and enhanced the features of his foe. They were exactly alike in every way, except Eklipse was evil, while Mithic was good.

Thinking quickly, he lifted the largest piece of rubble with the Force and placed it between himself and Eklipse. He began to try to dig through the debris to rescue Carina, but it was no use. The wall between the two clones was soon shattered by Eklipse's mastery of the dark side. The two were destined to fight now. He drew his lightsaber in response to his opponents and waited for the charge. But Eklipse was too smart for that. He knew a headlong charge would mean his death. So he picked up a rock and threw it. This caught Mithic off guard and gave Eklipse time to close the distance and swing at his clone brother. Mithic blocked the attack and followed it up with a slash of his own.

The two were locked in combat for what seemed like hours, but in truth was only a few minutes. Both seemed to realize that the _Corruption's_ attack critically damaged the structure, and it would collapse. Eklipse was the first to flee. But Mithic returned to the rubble to try to retrieve the two Sith buried inside it. The man's corpse was easier, but Carina was trapped much harder. Drawing on his full Force power, he lifted her out of the debris, and went back to his ship. The bodies barely fit into his starfighter as the building he was just in was destroyed. Another ship besides _Corruption_ escaped the rubble, and he could only assume it was that of the Sith in the back of his starchaser. They had left without their leader, he assumed, but still lived. He returned to Dantooine in his ship. Before logging his return, he went to go get the Council, as he had heard of people matching his "passengers" descriptions being spoken of to the Council. They would know what to do with the two people he returned with...

-------------

The deep night of Dantooine was almost overbearingly dark as John Mithic twitched and shuddered in his sleep. Suddenly, he jerked awake, his body drenched in sweat. His mind reeled as he tried to gain his bearings. The room was pitch black and Mithic had to use the Force to sense his surroundings. He was on still on Dantooine…

_What the frack?_ he thought as he remembered meeting Carina and a Sith lord on Malachor V.

He paced the room, firmly aware now that nothing that he had seen in his dreams had really transpired. He had never met again with the admiral, he had never flown the starfighter to Malachor, and he had never fought with the Sith Lord or Carina. The dream had been so vivid, though, it had seemed so real…

_Eklipse…_ Mithic realized with a burst of anger that the only person that could have sent him such a dream and thus trapped him on Dantooine while important events transpired on Malachor was his "brother."

Why was Eklipse always a step ahead of him?

-------------

Carina continued to circle her opponent, her lightsaber held in front of her, ready to strike. Destrik also held up his lightsaber; it wavered between deep violet and black in color. Carina realized that Destrik had the crystal that Indy had found in his lightsaber, and it compounded his power to dizzying levels.

Destrik did not move a muscle as she circled him, he didn't have to because he sensed her movements through the Force. Carina tried not to think about the predicament she was in; as she looked for any weakness in Destrik, but she could find nothing.

"Are you giving up, Destrik?" Carina asked sneeringly. She needed to say something, break the silence that fueled the fear rising in her heart. There had been a point in the past that she had been able to kill him, but now, after his resurrection, his power had grown. Carina had never encountered one with such power, such command over the dark side of the Force.

"Never," he replied. His voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Then strike me!" she cried. The inaction was hammering away at her resolve. She needed to find a weakness—any weakness—he had to have one!

"Did you think when you killed me, Carina, that it was the end?" Destrik asked, his hazel eyes trained on her.

"I sure as hell hoped so. Would have been better for the galaxy if you would have stayed dead," Carina replied, her voice hard.

Destrik laughed mirthlessly.

"I should thank you. Without your brash action, I would have never reached the mastery of the dark side."

Carina's mouth involuntarily dropped as she realized what he was saying was true. They may have had a chance of destroying him then, but now, he was too powerful. The galaxy would fall because of her…

"Master, the preparations are complete, the ritual is ready to be performed," Dustil reported to Destrik as he entered the hall.

Carina was disturbed. She had not sensed Dustil's approach. She was getting distracted. Destrik was playing with her mind. She thought about attacking Destrik again, but realized that it would only end in her death.

Without warning, Carina's muscles stiffened as Destrik put her under a sort of stasis. As Dustil carried her paralyzed body deeper into the Academy, Carina realized that this stasis was not a normal one, if it were, she would have been able to easily break it.

Carina assumed that they had reached their destination, when Dustil dropped her useless body to the floor. Her anger built up inside of her. How was this happening to her? She was Carina, Master of the Sith Academy and a one of the most talented users of the Force. Her futility frustrated her.

Her body floated up in the air.

"I want you to see this, Carina. I want you to see all my plans come to fruition. After you see what your actions have made possible, then I will kill you. You will not live to see me crush the Republic and cleanse the universe of the Jedi. You will not live to see me rule, but you will live to see me and my masters return to power."

Destrik's words captured her entire attention. There were strange twangs in her heart when she realized that Destrik would kill everything and everyone she had ever known or loved.

Destrik turned her back to her, and Carina was able to view her surroundings. They were in the Trayus Core. Eight large spires arranged in an outer circle surrounded the inner circle of five spires that emerged from the ground like a vicious beast's claw. In the very center of the core was the glowing red point, the focal point of the dark power that congregated at Malachor.

Many of Destrik's force of Sith soldiers were surrounding the outer circle, guarding the core for the ritual to come.

The resurrected Sith Lords with their borrowed bodies stood inside the inner circle of spires, their bodies evenly spaced from one another in a perfect circle. To Carina, they looked like statues, not moving, not breathing, but simply as if they were waiting for the end of time.

Carina's body floated stagnantly over a small group of Dark Jedi. She could not move her eyes down enough to see how many were near her, but she could sense that it was only a few. Sith soldiers and other Dark Jedi were clustered all around the outer spires waiting for the ascension to power of their Lords.

Dustil stood far on the other side of the room, opposite of Carina, guarding the entrance to the Trayus Core.

The room was eerily silent to Carina. With the number of people that gathered in the core, there was no shuffling of feet and no whispers. Everyone was hushed by the immense power that surrounded them. Destrik walked towards the center of the core. His footsteps echoed, and the sound was almost painfully deafening. His black robed figured stepped into the blood red center, and his feet hovered over the spot.

All eyes were on the Sith Lord as he activated his lightsaber, lifting it high above his head. Strange, slithery words exited Destrik's mouth as he held his stance. Carina could only guess that the words were in the ancient tongue of the Sith.

If she were not in stasis, Carina would have shuddered at what happened next. Large arcs of energy shot from the ends of each of the spires where they met in the center at Destrik's lightsaber. The saber's blade glowed black now as the violet streams of energy grew in intensity. Destrik continued his chant, and the whites of his eyes were replaced by black as he was consumed with power.

The bodies that acted as receptacles for the souls of the resurrected Sith lords melted away as the energy surrounded them. After all material vestiges of their bodies were burned away, all that remained were ghost-like images. As Carina watched in horror, the transparency of the images was being replaced with flesh.

Carina had to act now! If she did not interrupt this ritual, all the ancient Sith lords would be restored to their living glory, and the galaxy would be doomed. She struggled to gather her will, to break the stasis. She felt the Force surge inside of her, but she had no focus; she could not do it.

_Noooo!_ Carina screamed inside of her head. The furious battle going on inside of her was a losing one. Her strength was nothing without someone to believe in her.

Then, as if in answer to her silent pleading, a face appeared in Carina's field of vision that she never believed she would see here.

It was Rani, who in contrast to the darkness surrounding her, looked like a beacon of innocence.

Rani's eyes locked with Carina's own.

Painful memories welled up in Carina of how many times she had hurt her friends. It had not been too long ago that Carina held a lightsaber to Rani, and yet still her friend's eyes held a kindness that she had a hard time understanding.

Dustil roughly grabbed Rani.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed with anger.

"I can't let you kill her," Rani replied to Dustil, her chin trembling with fear.

"She tried to kill Master Destrik, and she will pay for her actions," Dustil answered with vehemence. He hated Carina on principle.

"No! It is because of me that she found her way here, and I won't let you kill her!" Rani cried, her voice wavering with tears.

_Why is Rani trying to save my life?_ Carina questioned.

_I have always been on your side, Carina. I believe the woman that is my friend is still inside of you, fighting against the darkness._ The memory of Rani's words tore a hole in Carina's shield of darkness.

She had been something to someone. Rani had been her true friend, as well as Igrayne and Evy. And Mical… Mical had never done anything but love her more than his own life. How had she let her mind be set against them?

Anguish increasingly enveloped Carina as her shell of hatred splintered away.

_Sometimes, we must sacrifice for the ones we love._ Rani's words reverberated through Carina, and finally, she knew what she had to do.

Dark power still surged through Carina, but she had the focus she needed to manipulate it to her will. She deftly landed on her feet as she broke through the stasis that had left her hovering over the ghastly ritual.

Several dark Jedi started toward her, and a few blaster bolts were shot her way. Carina's resolve, now strengthened, allowed her to easily deflect the bolts, and they flew back in the direction they had come, killing the two Sith soldiers immediately.

By this time, the first dark Jedi was upon her, waving his lightsaber in a flurried attack. Carina interrupted the attack and her lightsaber clashed in a flash of energy with his. Using the Force to aid her, she overpowered him, sending his lightsaber skittering across the floor before she swung her own around to lop off his head.

The next two dark Jedi were dispensed with as much fervor and skill as the first as she sunk her lightsaber into the heart of one, and then swung around to dismember the other before Force pushing him into the depths of Malachor.

Her eyes darted to Destrik, who paid no attention to the mayhem surrounding him. The Sith lords' newly reconstructed bodies were nearing completion. Swarms of soldiers and dark Jedi threatened to overwhelm her, and she had no delusions about the limits of her power. She would not be able to fight all of them.

Instead, she swung around in Rani's direction, and force pushed the woman back through the entrance to the core, before gathering her power. She was going to bury this accursed room of the academy with herself and all the minions of the Sith that were now within it.

Carina pulled great chunks of stone out of the vaulted walls of the chamber. Debris rained down around her as the great stones hovered in the air, waiting for her power to release them.

Dustil, seeing the immediate danger to his occupied Master, hastily ran to the middle of glowing red core. In the confusion of the moment, he could not find Carina in the hordes of panicking Sith. At Dustil's touch to Destrik's arm, the large arcs of energy immediately dissipated.

Destrik turned to Dustil, looking momentarily furious as he saw the condition of his "masters." They stood stock still, as if rooted to the spot by some invisible force.

"Master, we must leave now," Dustil pleaded, tugging on his master's arm to reinforce his urgency.

Destrik deflected several stones as he assessed the situation. He immediately sensed Carina's position, and started towards it, until one of the large spires crumbled to the floor. The imminent destruction of the core was enough to convince Destrik that Carina would die without his direct involvement.

"Rani is here," Destrik snapped as he sensed his consort's presence.

Dustil tried to answer, but Destrik ran at a blinding pace to Rani's side outside of the core. The relative safety of the rest of the academy would not hold for long, and Dustil tried to lead as many Sith as he could away from the core. Destrik held Rani in his arms, her unconscious form limp in his arms. Dustil soon reached his position.

"Master! What about the others?!" Dustil yelled over the roar of more falling rock. Sith and Dark Jedi were falling like flies, very few could find their way through the small exit.

"They are dispensable," Destrik countered, while he kept a brisk pace.

"And the Masters?! What of them?! All we have worked for…" Dustil cried, his head ached from the thundering all around him.

"They are of no concern to you," Destrik replied vaguely, now breaking out into a Force assisted run.

Dustil didn't have the power of his Master, so he could not keep up. Instead, he was barely able to keep ahead of the collapsing structure of the academy.

Total destruction surrounded Carina as she continued her assault on the academy. She could no longer see around her, as thick dust choked off her vision. Unbeknownst to her, the color had returned to her cheeks and her eyes once again took on their jeweled emerald hue. The presence of her friend was now far away, and it comforted Carina in what she knew would be her last moments. Her strength was leaving her, and the last few boulders that floated high above her head escaped her control and came hurtling down towards her.

_Sometimes we must sacrifice for those we love_, Carina thought, right before her world as she knew it ended, and all was plunged into darkness.

------------

In the aftermath of the destruction that Carina had wrought upon the Trayus Core, Dustil stood surveying what few Sith soldiers that had survived. Over half the force that traveled with them had perished in the catastrophe.

Destrik had refused to speak with him, instead lingering by the destroyed academy.

Dustil mourned the loss of their efforts. In one fell sweep, the culmination of months of work vanished beneath the suffocating rubble. Dustil stared at his master. Destrik refused to show any emotion. Instead, he stalked the outer edge of the rubble, as if in wait.

A slight rumbling caught Dustil's attention, and he looked out over the wreckage to find the source. A few rocks tumbled down a mound of rubble. Soon, the trickle of movement surged, and several figures emerged from the masses of stone. Dustil could not move or even breathe as he stared at the fully formed bodies of the ancient Sith masters advancing towards Destrik.

The remnants of their forces seemed to gain back their morale. Each of the Masters took their positions at Destrik's side, and Dustil could see in his master's eyes, that their goal had been fulfilled.

Destrik's new flagship jumped to hyperspace. The ship was a flurry of activity as soldiers prepared for battle, and battle plans were sent out to the Sith reinforcements. Destrik and the other fully restored Sith Lords conferred in council.

Rani had been locked in her quarters, so that she would no longer get in the way.

"Jedi masters of the Council, I regret to inform you that battle will soon be upon Dantooine. I have failed you, Destrik has succeeded in his quest to restore the ancient Sith Masters to their full living power. In a valiant effort to stop what I could not, Carina brought down the whole of the Trayus Core down on the Sith and killed many of Destrik's forces. She…she is dead…"

Rani finished her holo transmission to the Council in sobs, her tears finally releasing from her disbelieving body.

She collapsed onto the floor, wallowing in despair and guilt. Carina had sacrificed her life for her…

In Rani's mind, the battle was inconsequential. Now, with all of Destrik's power and that of the other Sith lords, the galaxy would be swallowed up by darkness.

_The best part is yet to come, Rani. I will kill your lover right before your eyes and I will take you as I take the galaxy._ Rani remembered Destrik's parting words to her before he had locked her in the room.

Darth Eklipse strode across the surface of Malachor V, the demolished academy in front of him. The _Corruption_ had not made it to the planet in time for him to intercept his enemies. The dark power that he had sensed near the planet before, had grown immensely and was now growing farther from Malachor.

"Master, the power… it…it grew somehow," one of Eklipse's student's observed what he himself had been angry to realize.

"Yes, something happened here," he replied, throwing his foolish student into the ground with the Force in his anger.

"What shall we do?" another of his followers asked, her slitted eyes tainted with fear.

"We will do nothing for now. Let my enemies destroy each other. I will have my chance to take what I deserve." He stated, rationalizing his decision to not go after the others.

_I cannot attack yet without being destroyed. I am too late. The other power is too great. I will lay in wait._ Darth Eklipse thought as he formulated his prudent plans.

---------------

"You're leaving."

Igrayne turned around to face the Zabrak to whom that familiar calm voice belonged. "I'm leaving with Bastila and Tren to go rescue Mical."

"I see," he said simply as he watched Igrayne pack a few supplies into a small bin.

Igrayne busily packed what things she needed for the trip ahead. She tucked her lightsaber under the folds on her robe to allow her easy access, which would be very important once they reached Korriban. The planet was full of darkness and she was not at all enjoying the prospect of leaving Dantooine—on the verge of a massive battle—to go pursue her missing friend. But she could not allow Mical to be subjected to the torture of the Sith.

Part of her was even hoping she might find Carina and maybe—_just maybe_—be able to turn her back to the light. She sighed audibly, lost within her own thoughts and barely paying any attention to the Zabrak who was watching her intently.

"Igrayne—" Bao began.

"Bao, I have to go. Mical is in a great deal of danger if I don't. Korriban is a dangerous planet, I know, but I can't leave him to be tortured by the Sith," Igrayne interrupted. Part of her felt guilty for not informing Bao-Dur sooner. He had a right to know if she was leaving on an extremely risky mission.

Bao-Dur took a step towards her, gathering her in his arms and embracing her protectively. He traced the smooth side of her face and whispered, "Then be careful."

Igrayne smiled, touched by his subtle show of compassion. "I will."

"I can ask no more than that," Bao-Dur said quietly, releasing her from their embrace.

"Do you think he's still alive, Bao? I can barely sense him...and I'm not even sure if it's _him_ I sense or merely a Force imprint that he's left behind," Igrayne said sadly. Her eyes showed how worried she was for Mical. He had gone off alone to Korriban in a most likely futile attempt to bring Carina back to the light. The relationship between them was heartbreaking to Igrayne. She supposed not everyone could get a happy ending.

"Mical lives," Bao said confidently. "His life hangs by a thread, and he is fading...but I think that's only his heart that is fading."

Igrayne turned to look directly at him. "What do you mean?"

"Mical has failed, obviously. But I believe he's giving up all hope..." Bao said, contemplating aloud. "He's losing the will to live."

"Not Mical. He's the most optimistic person I know," Igrayne said, shaking her head.

"But he's lost the woman he loves," Bao added.

Igrayne's gaze fell to the ground. "True enough."

She felt Bao's calloused hands stroke the side of her face tenderly, and then tilt her chin up to force her to look at him. "I am more than fortunate to have you."

Igrayne blushed. "I love you, Bao."

His lips turned into a slight grin. "And I you, Igrayne."

"Sorry to interrupt this...uh..._tender_ moment, but we have to get moving if we're going to be saving Blondie today," Trentyn said, resting against the doorframe.

"Where's Bastila?" Igrayne queried.

"She's already on the ship. Now, if you don't mind...can we hurry this up?" he asked impatiently.

Igrayne nodded and turned to plant one last chaste kiss on Bao-Dur's cheek. He gripped her hand and gave it a reassuring, gentle squeeze.

"Be safe," he said.

Igrayne nodded and slipped her hand out of Bao-Dur's, grabbed her things, then quickly followed Trentyn towards the ship. She could still feel Bao-Dur's soothing presence as he threw it out at her to reasure her. She was grateful to have someone like Bao-Dur who was always there and supported her decisions, no matter what they were. She glanced once backwards instinctively.

_May the Force be with you, Igrayne._ She heard Bao's voice whisper in her mind as she entered their ship.

---------------------

"She...she is dead..." Rani's image said before flickering to black.

The Council was stunned to silence. Carina was dead, and although she had been a great threat, it was too difficult to believe. She had once been a great Jedi, and the Council had had high hopes for her. Her fate was a sad one indeed, and many members on the Council felt a great loss due to her recent departure and the confirmation of that fact that this news brought.

"Failed, we have," Vandar said sadly. "Too late, we were."

"Her fate was inevitable while she was traveling on that dark path," Vrook said icily.

Zhar shook his head. "Perhaps if we had taken more precautions in her training..."

"She died in an act of redemption, surely that means something," Dorak said thoughtfully.

The other members of the Council nodded in silent acquiescence.

Vandar closed his eyes, feeling through the Force, prepared to meet a great hole within it. On the contrary, he sensed a faint glimmer of life far beyond the reaches of space. The glimmer was fading, but it was still there, regardless.

"Perhaps stronger than we first suspected, young Carina is," Vandar said, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Great plans for her, the Force has."

"What are you talking about, Master Vandar? Carina is dead. Rani witnessed her death," Vrook retorted. He was in no mood to deal with some more Jedi crypticness. Being a Jedi himself, he was used to dealing it out, not receiving it.

"Sense a small disturbance, I do," Vandar said, nodding as he searched the glimmer more thoroughly to make sure it really was whom he suspected. "Someone yet lives."

"I sense it as well, Master. It is faint...but it is undeniably there," Zhar agreed.

Vrook scoffed. "This is ridiculous. No one could have survived a cave in as massive as Rani described."

"Perhaps the Force is sustaining her," Dorak pondered. "It has been recorded happening before...the Force works in mysterious ways, Master Vrook."

"And if she is alive? What will we do with her?" Vrook asked, instinctively raising his voice. "She is too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Vrook, careful of your feelings, you must be," Vandar warned.

"Forgive me, Master, but I do not think it wise to mess with things beyond our knowledge," Vrook replied. "If the Force is at work, then she will return changed...without our help."

"You know, as well as we do, that that isn't how the Force works, Vrook," Dorak countered.

"What do you suggest we do then, oh great chronicler?" Vrook snapped.

"We meditate further," he suggested. "The Force will present the answer to us."

"Suggest sending a Master, I do," Vandar said aloud.

"And what would they be able to accomplish but bringing a broken woman back to us? Not to mention, she could still be highly dangerous," Vrook said, exasperated.

Vandar shook his head sadly. "If a broken woman, she is...then heal her, we _must_."

"I do not believe what I am hearing," Vrook said with disbelief.

"Vrook, you were not the only one to feel betrayed by her fall," Zhar said, sensing the real reason behind his reluctance to admit she was alive. "This may be our chance to bring her back and redeem her."

Vrook snorted. "I doubt it. She was always so brash and fiery..."

"Meditate on this, find a master to send, we will. Until then, wait, we will," Vandar said in a conclusive tone, signaling the end of the meeting.

-----------------

Korriban was fast approaching, and Trentyn was having difficulty handling the controls of their ship. Bastila stood stoically to his side, using the co-pilot's seat as a means to balance herself.

"I thought you said you could pilot," Bastila said angrily.

"I _am_ piloting!"

"I consider this more of 'falling' or 'crashing' than piloting," Bastila corrected him.

Trentyn would have turned to glare at her if he was still not fighting the currents of Korriban's atmosphere.

"Zip it, sweets. It isn't as easy as it looks."

"Really?" Bastila asked, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair. She ran her hands along the controls, trying to familiarize herself with them. "I am taking control of the ship now, Trentyn."

"No way, babe. No offense, but I doubt you could pilot a speeder," Trentyn said. "Babes aren't known for their flying skills."

"Nor are men known for their navigational skills," Bastila retorted hotly.

"Oh, I beg to differ on that one," he said, grinning lecherously.

Bastila quickly leveled the ship, using the Force to balance it while she brought it into a rough landing in the Valley of the Sith lords, behind some pile of rubble to mask their presence mildly.

"There'll be no living with her after this..." Trentyn complained inaudibly, and to himself.

Igrayne hurried towards the landing ramp, eager to get off the previously bucking ship. She could now sense Mical's fading presence. Bastila and Trentyn followed close behind as they made their way towards the Academy, careful to slip by oblivious Sith students. Mical was in great danger now...and as they approached, they could sense how dark his attitude really was.

"Now," Bastila began in a whisper. "We do not know what to expect, so stick close...and be silent."

"No, really?!" Trentyn exclaimed softly, and sarcastically.

"Be quiet!" Bastila hissed.

Igrayne just chuckled.

------------------

Carth Onasi was depressed. Not just depressed, but highly concerned for Rani. He had just let her walk right out of his life. He should have done something—_anything_. Instead, he had just accepted the fact that she was returning to Destrik. Who knew what he'd do to her? She had once loved him...so why wouldn't she once again when he had the Galaxy to offer her.

_Stop that, Onasi,_ Carth reprimanded himself. _Pull yourself together. She'll be all right. She has to be._

"Admiral, we are receiving news of several Sith Capital ships entering the system." An elite soldier informed him.

Carth frowned. This day just kept getting worse. "Thank you, soldier. At ease. Prepare the men for combat."

Carth knew the battle would happen today, and he had a bad feeling about it. Something was wrong, real wrong...but he could not place it. Instead, he regained his composure, took a deep breath, and headed towards the Enclave to warn the Jedi about the approaching Sith cruisers...

-----------------

Evy sat alone in her quarters, silently reflecting upon her troubled thoughts. With her eyes closed, she sat in a meditative position upon the floor as she tried to calm her inner turmoil. She stayed there for what seemed like hours, trying desperately to find some semblance of tranquility within her soul, but no comfort came to her… no reassurance was found. If anything, the woman was only becoming more confused. In the scarce moments when she did seem to find some peace, Bastila's harsh words prevented her from doing so as they echoed through her head.

"_You will have to make a decision, you will have to choose, Atton or the Jedi. You are only putting off the inevitable."_

Evy squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as if trying to rid the unpleasant thought from her brain. As much as she tried to procrastinate making her decision, she knew that deep within her heart, Bastila was right. She would eventually have to choose between her duties and Atton, and her decision would not be an easy one. On the one hand, she desperately wanted to amount to something and live up to her true potential. The Jedi had always said that she had a strong Force connection. She needed only to open her mind to the Force and leave all connections behind her if she wished to live such a noble life. The opportunity was a tempting one, but a deeper part of her still loathed the Jedi Order for what they did to her beloved Jeran. And she loathed them even more for what they were doing to the blossoming relationship between her and Atton.

Realistically, Evy knew that such a love couldn't realistically last… but somehow, the scoundrel completed her in a way that she knew the Jedi never could. As much as she tried to deny this seemingly simple fact, she knew that it was true.

_If only the Jedi weren't so stubborn in their beliefs regarding love,_ she thought bitterly to herself. _My decision would be a heck of a lot easier…_

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door broke her train of thought and Evy swiftly stood up, walking towards the door. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, silently hoping that it wasn't Atton waiting for her outside her door. But then again, if it were him, he probably would have broken in already. He was never one for formalities…

"Who is it?" she asked, feeling apprehensive.

A young man's voice sounded from the other side of the metal door, apparently one of the young Jedi padawans who occupied the Enclave.

"Miss Evy? Excuse me for bothering you, but the council requests to see you immediately. They said that it's urgent."

Evy frowned deeply, wondering what the council could possibly want with her. In all honesty, she didn't really want to find out.

"Tell them I'll be with them shortly," she said, after a few moments of silence.

"I will do that, my lady," the young man said courteously before leaving her in peace. Evy's frown only deepened at the imminent confrontation, as she lingered near the door for several moments. Why couldn't anyone just leave her alone?

Evy took a deep breath before stepping past the threshold into the Jedi Council chamber. She could already feel the tension running rampant throughout the room. Something had happened, although she could not place her finger on what. She kept her stance tall, strong as she strode in, trying to give the façade of strength of mind and confidence. Although she felt neither at the moment.

"Padawan Evy, thank you for coming," Zhar said kindly, motioning for her to take a seat in an adjacent chair. "There are some things we wish to discuss with you."

Evy didn't like the sound of that. There was something about the way the Council was looking at her, something about Zhar's tone of voice that unsettled her. She could already sense how displeased the council was with current events, and she hoped they hadn't called her here because of her relationship with Atton. If so, then she might just have to make that decision sooner than expected.

"What things, Master Zhar?" she asked calmly, sliding into a seat.

All the council members' eyes were focused on her, and she felt suddenly extremely guilty due to the weight of their stares. One member in particular, Master Vrook, was glaring at her as if she were a Sith Lord herself. Then again, she supposed that he was always like that. Vrook had the disposition of a kinrath most days, so she was not completely unnerved by his unfriendly gaze.

"Things of great importance," Dorak answered. "The Force is working mysteriously these days, and we must make certain that those under its rule do not fall prey to certain base emotions."

"Master Dorak speaks out of turn," Vrook interrupted. "We have called you here today to discuss a matter that deals with not only yourself, but several of your companions."

Evy's heart leapt into her throat. She knew where this was going, and she did not like it one bit. "Which companions, Master Vrook?"

"I'm certain you already know of whom we speak, Padawan," Vrook bit out.

"I'm not sure I understand..." Evy said, trailing off. She didn't know why, but all her courage had fled her the moment she stepped into the room.

Vandar held his hand up patiently. "Deny it not, Padawan. Know, we do."

Evy was suddenly finding it harder to breathe. Was it getting hot in here or what?

"But perhaps, Masters, we should start by discussing the _other_ matters," Zhar said softly, in an attempt to ease the Master's interrogation of the poor padawan. "There is, after all, more to discuss than just _that_."

Dorak and Vandar nodded in agreement.

"Agree, I do," Vandar said, rubbing his chin slightly. "Tell her the fate of her friend, we should."

"Friend?" Evy queried, nearly leaping from her seat. "You mean—"

"Carina." Vrook supplied, but said it as if it were bitter tasting.

Evy froze. She'd wanted to know what happened to Carina ever since she'd fallen to the dark side and deserted them so abruptly. It had been a great blow to all of the crew, her included. Carina had been a close friend, and although she wished to know what had happened to her—where she was and what she was doing—the other part of her was afraid to know.

Because whatever it was, she knew it would not be good.

"Master?" she awaited, surprised as Vrook got a distant look in his face for a brief moment.

He shook his head quickly, and cleared his throat to cover it up. "You friend, Carina, is dead."

"Dead?" Evy squeaked. "That...that's not possible."

"Improbable, yes. Impossible, no," Vandar said softly. "Informed us, young Rani has, of Carina's death."

"But...how?" Evy managed to say. Suddenly, flashes of the good times she'd had with Carina popped into her head, replacing those that reminded her of her friend's tragic fall from glory.

Zhar leaned forward. "I'm afraid your friend died in a valiant attempt to save Rani and destroy the remaining Sith occupation on Malachor V. While she succeeded in killing most of Destrik's Sith army, Destrik himself survived the attack."

Tears sprang to Evy's eyes, and she did not know why. Carina had betrayed her, along with everyone else, so she shouldn't have felt any pity for her...yet she did. She did because Carina had once been her friend...and she knew deep down that she'd only did what she did in an act of love. In the end, she supposed, Carina succeeded in her quest...she helped make a difference in the Galaxy.

But now she was gone.

It was another fatal blow, and one that Evy could barely handle under such extreme circumstances.

"Died in an act of redemption, young Carina did," Vandar explained, walking over towards Evy, using his gimer stick. "Brought down the whole Trayus Academy, she did. A great blow to the Sith, she dealt."

Evy didn't trust her voice, so she merely nodded.

Vandar rested his hand on her arm comfortingly. "Beyond saving, no one is. Proof of this, Carina was."

Evy nodded. "She was a good friend of mine..."

"One with the Force, she is. In a better place now, she is. Miss her, do not. Mourn her, do not," Vandar said, walking back to his seat.

"Of course, Master." Evy knew she would spill a few tears when she was in private regardless.

She felt her anger flare when she saw how sour Vrook's expression, how _uncaring_ he was being. A Jedi was suppose to be compassionate, and yet Vrook was cold...and it bugged her imensely. Her friend had _died_ to help defend the Galaxy, to help defend the _Jedi_...and all he did was sit there stone-faced, glaring. It was not just, it was not fair, and it was secretly tearing Evy up inside.

"Now, we have other business to discuss as well, Padawan," Vrook said, precluding her from expressing her displeasure with them. "We have been watching you lately...and something has changed, we've all noticed. You seem disheartened, disinterested in the Jedi, and your all around disposition is less...what is the word I'm looking for?"

"Content," Dorak supplied.

"Thank you," Vrook replied before continuing. "We fear this is because of the man known as Atton Rand that you _socialize_ with on a regular basis."

"Master, I—" Evy began, ready to defend her position.

Vrook held up an imperious hand, silencing her instantly. "Do not bother to deny it, Evy, for we already know how _intimate_ you two are."

How could they possibly know that? She had figured that she'd been at least semi-careful about their relationship and had tried to hide it, although Atton was less willing to do that. Then again, Atton was _always_ unwilling. Just thinking of him and the fight and confession he'd made brought up ill feelings towards the scoundrel.

"If you have called me here to merely condemn me and interrogate me, then I will not merely stand here and take it," Evy said, suddenly finding her voice and strength.

She stood up defiantly, as did Vrook. "_Sit down_, Padawan."

His voice dared her to argue with him, so she did as she was told and sat back down in her seat grudgingly.

"Stop this relationship, you must, Padawan. For your own good, it is," Vandar said more calmly than Vrook.

"My own good? How can..." She stopped speaking abruptly. "_…Violently ripping me away from the man I love.."._ she had wanted to say, _"…and separating me from my friends be 'for my own good'?!"_

Dorak shook his head. "We have already lost many young Jedi in this war against the Sith, we do not want to lose more due to carelessness. You have heard of Ulic Quel-Droma, haven't you?"

Dorak didn't even wait for her answer before continuing. "He was so attached to his Master, that when his Master fell, instead of letting him go, Ulic decided to pursue a darker path, searching for revenge on his murderer. He had merely intended to exact his revenge and then return to the Jedi, but instead, the dark side perverted him and turned him, ultimately leading to his death and the deaths of his brother and friends."

Evy was really hating this. "What do you want me to do? I cannot just wish away my feelings."

"She admits there are feelings though," Vrook pointed out. "This is useless conversing...let us pass our judgment now."

"Judgment?" Evy nearly choked on the word. "Wait one minute—"

"No, Vrook. Not here to pass judgment on her actions, are we. Here to warn her, we are," Vandar patiently stated.

"I know what you would say, and it would seem like wisdom, Masters, if not for the warning in my heart," Evy said truthfully. She couldn't keep this all contained anymore, and she hoped that the masters would be able to give her guidance enough to make her decision.

Vandar nodded, deep in thought. "Warning...warning. Draw off the strength of your friends, you do. Forbid you to associate with them, we do not. Merely warning you of what could happen, we are. The scoundrel, dangerous, he is."

"Dangerous? I don't think Atton—" Evy began.

"He is a fool, and surely you see this, Padawan!" Vrook thundered, finally losing his patience. "You must choose between the Jedi or him, Padawan. It would be a great blow to the Order if you were to leave, but he presents too great a threat to you."

"A single force-wielder can change the fate of the Galaxy, Evy," Dorak said sadly. "We just want to make sure you are safe, and through the Jedi you can remain safe within the Force. You can live up to what you were meant to be."

Evy felt the tears springing to her eyes again. What they said made sense, and Atton had already wounded her heart not too long ago. Her inner torture was tearing her apart, and she felt her heart crumbling. If she did choose the Jedi over Atton, she would most likely never see the scoundrel again. He'd probably leave, forgetting her and entertaining himself with Pazaak and Twi'leks.

She hung her head. "Yes, Masters. You are right. I—I was not thinking."

"It is good you see this, it will make your decision easier," Zhar said, nodding contently.

"I choose the Jedi," she said at last. She felt her heart break, but she could not do anything to stop it.


	39. The Battle Begins

Igrayne watched the bleak building fade into view as they continued their trek up the mountain path toward the Korriban Sith Academy. Though Bao-Dur had volunteered to accompany them on their mission to Korriban to retrieve Mical, Vrook had loudly voiced his opinion that the Zabrak should stay behind on call for any technical malfunctions at the Enclave. With the impending battle, Bao-Dur decided it was in their best interest to obey the Jedi master.

Igrayne let out a wistful sigh, seeming very far away. After their brief parting, Kevan had come to say goodbye, as well. She couldn't help but feel that they all thought her mission would be a failure. She had secretly hoped that whatever Sith magic still existed on the forsaken planet would have been long gone by the time they arrived there...though it was clear to see the planet was as much of a cesspool now as it was then.

From the minute they had touched down on the dust bowl that was Korriban and extended the boarding ramp for them to disembark, Tren and Bastila had been at each other's throats. Not long after, Bastila had made her workbench preparations and clipped her lightsaber to her belt, momentarily abandoning the flirtatious rapport she and Tren had shared a minute ago. Igrayne wasn't oblivious to the fact that something was up between the two, but it certainly wasn't the time or place to be conducting such an investigation.

"Come on, troops, let's file out," Tren said jokingly, following the two women down the boarding ramp. Igrayne had one foot on the sand before she got an awful sensation in the pit of her stomach. She turned hot and cold all at once, feeling her body seize up and become momentarily incapacitated.

"Igrayne!" she could hear Bastila calling. "Igrayne, what is it?"

Numbness swept through her body, robbing her of breath. When the cloud quickly passed, Igrayne held a hand to her temples.

"Sit her down," Tren instructed.

"I was about to do that," Bastila snapped.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been busy primping, princess, you would've done it a lot sooner."

"Quiet, both of you!" Igrayne said, dismissing their argument with a wave of the hand. Both Tren and Bastila immediately looked over at their friend, who was currently immobilized on the sand.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force," she said.

Tren crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"So tell us what it is, _oh wise one_."

"It's Carina," Igrayne said breathlessly, tears springing, unbidden, to her eyes. "She's..._dead_. I can feel it."

Neither Tren or Bastila said nothing, but they gazed at each other for a long time at this news. Bastila slowly knelt at Igrayne's side, attempting to place a comforting hand on her forearm.

"I, too, have felt a disturbance. Though not with such intensity as you have. Perhaps it is due to my lack of focus, as Master Vrook says..."

"Wonder why that is," Tren quipped, but she merely ignored him.

"It is difficult to train yourself to hear the Force in a place so wholly overrun by dark side energies and voices," Bastila said, closing her brilliant blue eyes. She attempted to get Igrayne in a standing position with the help of Tren.

"We gotta go," he said, urging both the women up the hill. "Look, I'm sure if what you're saying is true, then Carina would want you to bring Mical back."

"Tren's right," Bastila said diplomatically, "Dark side or no dark side, Carina was not an evil person. She would have wanted what was best for Mical."

"After nearly killing him?" Igrayne sputtered, her sadness at the news quickly giving way to anger. "Right. You two don't know Carina. You don't know anything about he--"

"This isn't the time to discuss this," Bastila said. A lone rock tumbled from its spot on the high cliffs above, and the three of them ran out of the way in time to avoid being permanently flattened. Igrayne put a hand to her chest, trying to steady her own breathing and her connection to the Force. Though she owed no allegiance to the Council anymore, she was beginning to respect Bastila for the Jedi she was and the amount of wisdom she had displayed.

"Let's go," Tren said. They climbed up the ravine past a deep outcropping of rock from which eerie whistles were being emitted. Igrayne's hand never left the hilt of her lightsaber. They walked through the Academy and stopped in the main hall which, unsurprisingly, was deserted. Igrayne closed her eyes and allowed the currents of the Force guide her to the only remaining life form in all the complex.

They rounded the corner and were met with a grisly sight. Several dead bodies, already succumbing to rigor mortis, were splayed about the floor. Igrayne had to lift up her robes and watch where she stepped to avoid desecrating the long-dead bodies. She gazed briefly at the waxy faces as she passed, and Tren was able to identify two of them as his former Sith masters, Yuthura Ban and Uthar Wynn. Tren took a moment of silence for each of them, and he leaned down and whispered something inaudible into Yuthura's lekku.

Igrayne looked up and was startled to find another body in the center of the room. As she approached, she could see it was Mical, curled up in a little ball. He looked wounded, but he had no physical lacerations that she could see. It would have been easier if he _had_ been wounded--then she would've had something she could treat. But the state of his spirit was something she could not even begin to know how to heal.

"Mical," she said, leaning down to take hold of his shoulder. He turned in response to his name being called.

"Igrayne," he said very quietly. Tears trembled on his lashes, but his eyes weren't red.

"We're gonna get you out of here," Igrayne said, using all her strength to try and prop him up against her. She called over Tren and Bastila to help her, which they did. They worked by carrying his dead weight between the three of them--which was proving a quite difficult feat for both Igrayne and Bastila.

They ushered Mical down to the transport and brought him into the medbay before Tren sealed and secured the doors for liftoff.

"Is there anything I can do to—"

"No," Igrayne instructed Bastila. "You go help Tren. I'll take care of this."

Bastila smiled in response, confident that Igrayne knew what she was doing. She went to rejoin Tren in the cckpit, and Igrayne shut the door to allow for more privacy.

"How are you feeling?" Igrayne asked, delving through the few medical articles to find something to calm his nerves. She gave him a steel tray with some medication and a beverage. Mical was able to sit up on his own and take the medication without complaint. When he finished, he wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. Igrayne set aside the tray, watching him over her shoulder.

"Better?"

"Somewhat," he replied weakly. Igrayne stopped fussing with the medical tools and went to sit at the foot of his bed.

"Mical, I'm sorry."

He turned his face away, swallowing tears. She could tell it was with great restraint that he didn't dissolve into a weeping mess at that point. He simply had too much pride to allow her to see him like that.

"She was...so dark. It was almost overpowering. I have never seen one so dark as her. I _know_ I can save her."

Igrayne was silent. The thought of what she was going to have to do upset her, and she fought back the urge to cry, too.

"Mical..."

He looked at her intently, hanging on every word.

"...It's Carina. Something not good has happened."

"She is not hurt, is she?" he wondered, a note of concern in his voice.

"Mical, Carina's...she's dead."

Mical clammed up, his whole body becoming immobile while he digested this news with, what seemed, an incredible amount of calm.

"No, she is not. I saw her only a moment ago. I would have felt her if she..." He paused, his brow furrowing. "She couldn't..."

Igrayne slowly nodded, confirming the news.

"I don't believe you," he said desperately. "She is too strong to simply...burn out."

"She died protecting Rani," Igrayne explained, training her eyes on the ground so she wouldn't have to see Mical's reaction. "She sacrificed herself for her friend. It might have been the last good thing that she did, but I sure as hell am glad that Rani was able to reach her at that last...you know...that last moment."

Mical's eyes darted around the room, looking for something to focus on to keep his mind occupied. He would have felt her passing--he was _sure_ of it.

Tren commed Igrayne on the unit. She stood up and tried to clean around the workspace before leaving. She turned around and looked at Mical one last time.

"I'm sorry. I truly am."

After she exited, Mical was left alone with his harried thoughts. His face contorted with deep anguish. This news was not what he had been expecting... He had even been expecting happy news while lying there, half-dead, in the Korriban Sith Academy.

He closed his eyes and wept, holding a trembling hand over his face to prevent the others from seeing in case Tren had equipped a holocam in the medbay.

----------------

Mithic's nerves were screaming that something was wrong. He'd learned a long time ago to trust his intuition, and right now his intuition was warning him to get the hell away from the upcoming battle. Sure, he had known the odds ahead of time—and it wasn't looking good—but now he was getting that queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he _knew_ something was wrong.

He decided then, because there was no way he was going to flee from the battle, that he should speak with Admiral Onasi about his gut feeling on the matter. If it could help them avoid more bloodshed, then it would be worth a few moments talking with the Admiral who seemingly did not like him very much. John didn't know why that was, but who was he to judge? After all, the man had most likely seen more battle then him, and it was apparent that he was deeply troubled by more than one matter.

Mithic found that his breathing was growing irregular, a clear sign of his nerves. He needed to do something to take his mind of the coming battle or he would be ill fit to fight when it came upon them.

"Admiral Onasi?" John began, straightening himself up.

"Yes, soldier?" The admiral replied gruffly, not even bothering to turn to face him.

"I don't know how to explain this, Sir, so I'm going to do my best," Mithic began, clearing his throat and loosening his collar a bit. "We're in trouble here, Sir. Big trouble."

Carth sighed. "Soldier, if that's what you've come to tell me...I have other matters to attend to—"

"Admiral, what we're going up against—it's—well, it's going to be bigger than anything I think we've faced before. I've fought these Sith...they're stronger, more intelligent. They've become brutal organic killing machines, and they're not just going to stop with Dantooine. If we fall, then the Galaxy might just fall with us," Mithic explained with a sullen tone.

"I know the risks, and I sure as hell know the consequences. But knowing doesn't help us win the battle. Hell, we're probably going to get our asses handed to us on a silver platter when we go out to fight them!" Carth made a weary sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, Mithic. It's not you...really. It's just..."

As Carth's sentence trailed off, Mithic could swear he saw a very distant look in his eyes. He looked a lot older than his actual age in that one moment, and Mithic believed it was because of something other than the approaching battle.

"Admiral, I'm staying to help fight, but I'm going to need to know that if we're out on that battle field, you're going to watch my back as sure as I will watch yours."

Carth nodded, and even cracked a bit of a smile. "Of course, soldier. I'd have it no other way. Now, what was this about big trouble?"

"I have a bad feeling about this, Sir. That's it...and I've learned that it's wise to trust my instincts, lest I get wounded by not doing so." Mithic revealed a scar on his right forearm. "Didn't listen to my instinct when it was telling me to go away from the Kinrath pack."

"Ouch," Carth replied simply.

"And that was one of the lesser wounds too..." But Mithic was smiling now, glad he'd been able to reach a sort of pact with the Admiral. "So, I figured I would warn you on that account."

"Well, thanks," Carth said amiably, "Perhaps you could stick around and help get the men's morale up. They seem to admire your battle skills. I believe it gives them hope to be battling alongside one such as yourself."

Mithic nodded, and then shook hands with the Admiral. "It'd be my pleasure, Sir, to help in any way I can."

"Good, because right now, our sensors just picked up a small fleet of inbound Sith interceptors heading our way. They're proceeding to wipe out our communications relay, as well as some of our larger military installations," Carth explained, turning back to evaluate the screen that he'd been looking at before John had shown up. "If we could somehow outmaneuver them and take their fighters out, then we would have a significantly larger chance of victory."

"Sir?" John queried, prepared to recieve his orders.

"How're your flying skills?" Carth asked.

Mithic just smiled.

-------------------

The Sith interceptors dropped out of the hangar bay door of their Sith V-class destroyers, prepared to launch the first part of their massive strategy against the farming planet of Dantooine. If they moved quickly enough, the planet would be their's within a time span of several hours. The leading commander of this battle—replacing Destrik, who was unable to attend for a reason the Sith were unaware of—was Commander Dominic Oronka, an Echani leader who had betrayed his own people in a bid for more power.

And power he'd received after killing several of his commanding officers and achieving the rank of commander himself. He grinned lecherously as he surveyed the planet's readings. It had few military installations, one communications relay tower, and several hangars, all of which his deployed Red Moon squadron would take out with ease. His victory would ensure the survival of the Sith, as well as grant him the rank of admiral.

"Commander, we're receiving word that Dantooine is offering resistance," a soldier typing away at his post explained. "The resistance is being led by none other than Admiral Onasi."

Oronka sniffed. "They are fools, the lot of them. Have Red Moon move into position to attack any shields they are putting up."

"Yes, sir."

Oronka watched as his squadron of elite Sith fighters moved into position, after entering Dantooine's atmosphere. He had trained many of the pilots himself, and expected great things from them. The small red blips on his readout screen showed his own men, while—once the radar was up—the blue blips would show the enemy's men. It was a very organized system, and the strategy involved with it was just as efficient.

First, his fighters would take out all military installations and communications relays, whilst at the same time disabling any shielding or barriers they might be putting up. Second, he would send in his tanks--the newest weapon vehicles that the Sith had produced after finding the schematics in a Nabooian security droid—and they would crush all the remaining buildings and most of the surviving men. Lastly, he would send in his infantry, the men and women who had sold their lives to the Sith and would now help him achieve his ultimate want.

More power.

"Commander?"

"What is it now, ensign?" he groaned, turning to face the young soldier.

"The resistance has managed to round up a few starfighters, it would appear. They'll intercept our own within a few minutes," The ensign explained.

Oronka's eye twitched. It did that only when he really didn't like he news he was receiving. "How many?"

"No more than ten, I believe...that is, if my calculations are right."

"Well, why don't you check the damn calculations again!" He said, slamming his fist against the wall.

"Y-yes, Sir," The Ensign replied shakily, typing furiously away at the keys of his terminal.

The resistance was not supposed to have actually resisted this much! But it was no matter, and Oronka would not worry himself over a few rebels. They would die, all of them, in due time.

-------------------

"Admiral Onasi, this is John Mithic. Do you read me?"

"We read you loud and clear, Mithic. How's everything up there?" Carth's voice rang back through the communications console.

"We're getting ready to intercept the fighters, and from that point...I have a feeling that it's going to get intense," Mithic admitted.

"Of course, soldier, that's why we're sending you! Stop those fighters at all cost."

"Yes, sir! Happily," Mithic replied, extending his fighters wings so that it would allow him more agility.

He had with him several other fighters, being piloted by some of the Republic's best men...which reasured him slightly. After all, a dog fight in a small fighter such as their's would be more luck than skill. Regardless, Mithic could feel the rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins and he was prepared to do anything to take these sons of a Kinrath down.

"Targets in sight, extending wings, preparing lasers, " Mithic said over the comm. "Everyone ready to do this? Yellow Leader prepared."

"Yellow Five is here to take some bastards down!"

"Yellow Three here."

"Yellow Two checking in, extending wings."

"Yellow Seven ready and rearing to go!"

"Yellow Ten here. Let's get this party started!"

"Yellow Nine here. Calm yourself, Yellow Ten, you remember what happened the last time you went in 'all pumped.'"

"That was an accident," Yellow Ten objected.

"Regardless…" Yellow Nine replied with an indignant tone.

Mithic laughed. Yellow Squadron was surely something. He hoped that each one of them survived this counter offensive.

"Yellow Four here."

"Yellow Eight is in the house!"

"Yellow Six here, and for the love of the Force, Yellow Eight, stop saying that!"

"Sorry...can't help it."

"Excuses, excuses."

"I'm going to remember that."

Carth's voice suddenly came over the comm, breaking up the argument. "All right, you men and women are some of the Republic's best. Today will not be an easy day, but it will be a day that will always be remembered as the day that the Republic made its stand against the Sith—against impossible odds..."

There was a pregnant pause.

"And triumphed!" Carth cried, and the Yellow squadron gave a cheer. "Today, friends, you fight for not only Dantooine, but for the Galaxy. Its fate depends on this battle, and all the innocent people in this Galaxy are counting on you."

Mithic smiled. The admiral had quite a way with words, and the men admired him for that. He could tell that this battle would be one that would be long remembered, and for that, he was very grateful for being able to take part in such an historic event.

"Let's take these suckers down!!" Yellow Five cried over the comm., and there was resounding agreement from every other pilot.

The Battle for Dantooine had begun.

----------------------

"Mical?" Igrayne queried softly upon entering the medbay, where he had insisted on staying.

Mical had always found the medbay to be a sort of sanctuary. He was familiar with everything, and he knew what to use to heal what. It was always quiet, and it gave him peace. But on this day, he found no rest here.

"Yes?" he replied, voice weak.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better. Though I cannot say the same for my heart and mind," he said honestly.

Igrayne looked sympathetically at him. "She died for a worthy cause, Mical. In the end, she did find what she was looking for, I believe...and at least that should have given her a matter of satisfaction—"

"She's not dead. I feel like I would have known!" Mical said with vehemence, although he really could no longer sense her presence through the Force, which was a sure sign that she must be dead. A being as powerful as Carina would not be able to mask her Force presence otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Mical. Really, I am," Igrayne said, not knowing what else to say.

"It's my fault. If I had…If I had just been quicker, more courageous, I could have saved her. I know I could have!" he cried, dropping his head into his hands.

Igrayne remained silent, but took a seat beside Mical who was in deep emotional pain.

"I loved her, Igrayne," he whispered. "And I know I shouldn't have, and I fear that's what ultimately led to her…led to her..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it, so Igrayne supplied him with a different phrase. "She's one with the Force now, Mical. I doubt she'd want you to beat yourself up about it."

Mical said nothing, merely stood and walked out.

Igrayne watched him leave with a sad expression. Though many things had gone well in the time that they'd all been together, not everyone had such a good time. This was evidenced by both Mical and Carina alike. It was sad, but some things just couldn't be changed. Igrayne hoped that Mical would accept her death and move on. And knowing Mical, he would.

But he would do it reluctantly, and that's what Igrayne worried about.

----------------------------

"So, how's the kid?" Trentyn asked uneasily.

"Physically, he's healthy. Emotionally..." Bastila's voice trailed off.

"Basically, he's a wreck, right?"

"In a word? Yes," Bastila replied sadly.

Tren remained silent, just watching the stars stream past through the viewport.

"You know, it is not a weakness to show compassion for another, Tren," Bastila said, breaking the silence. "It is strength to be able to aid another in their time of need."

"Save it, sweet cheeks. I've heard all this Jedi nonsense before. Sure, I feel bad for the kid...but it's not like I could do anything to help him anyway," Trentyn stated stubbornly.

Bastila frowned. "I suppose I should have expected a response such as that from the likes of someone like you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Tren asked defensively.

"Do you even know how it feels to care for someone other than yourself?" Bastila asked with a distant look in her eyes. "Do you know what it feels like to lose someone you love?"

"Hey, don't go getting all sentimental on me. It's not my problem."

"Not your problem? So us saving the galaxy is just another fun trip for you? Who cares about all the innocents that could die if the Sith came to power...you don't care, do you?" Her words were clipped, icy. "As long as you have some credits to spend on Twi'leks and games of Sabacc or Pazaak, you're plenty happy."

"Now wait one minute—"

"You make me sick," Bastila said, emphasizing every word.

Trentyn was shocked by her sudden outburst at him. So shocked, he couldn't even think of a comeback.

"I thought maybe—you know what? It does not matter. I was a fool to think you, of all people, could change your ways and make something of yourself," Bastila said, beginning to turn on her heels to leave.

Trentyn caught her by the arm. "What are you saying?"

"You are nothing more than pithy scoundrel that cares for no one but yourself," Bastila supplied angrily.

"Look here, sister, just because we're traveling together doesn't give you the right to—" Trentyn began.

"It very well does give me the right! You lied to me, Trentyn. You made me believe—" Bastila bit back the rest of the words.

Trentyn raised an eyebrow, but did not lessen his hold on her. "Made you believe what?"

She leaned close to him and whispered, "Go jump into a Sarlacc pitt, Trentyn."

And with that, she twisted out of his grip and stormed off down the hallway, leaving a confused and bewildered Trentyn behind to ponder exactly what Bastila had been trying or meaning to say.

---------------

The tiny ship dropped out of hyperspace and straight into an interstellar space battle. Tren roared for each of the ship's occupants to assume their seats and get in position because things were going to get rough. Igrayne sat down and took hold of the armrests, closing her eyes, letting meditative thoughts float through her head. She could sense a great deal of strife back on Dantooine, where Bao-Dur remained. But she couldn't sense him.

Tren grabbed the controls, shifting the gears to the right to avoid being incinerated by a volley of laserfire that erupted into red-orange flames which licked the edges of the viewport. Igrayne turned her face away from the explosion, silently counting her blessings. She trusted Tren to get them through this, but that trust was shaken by what she saw up ahead of them...

A large ship, extending over almost the whole atmosphere of the planet, stood in attack position. Tren screamed and plunged the ship downward as an enemy fighter came rushing headlong at them. Igrayne felt her stomach lurch at the sudden dive, but braced herself for the worst that was still to come.

The ship plummeted to Dantooine, cutting through layers and layers of the atmosphere until the Enclave floated into view. At the last possible minute, Tren gripped the controls, forcing a quick landing. The landing wasn't pleasant, but they didn't have time to ruminate on it as the transfer hatchway opened and a young Jedi Knight came in, lightsaber activated.

"Hurry, get inside!" he urged.

Igrayne went to the medbay to escort Mical out after wrapping a blanket around him. She didn't want him to catch cold in his current frail condition. Together, they hobbled toward the Enclave and were greeted by a few young padawans, who led them through the halls of the fortification straight into the chaos ensuing inside.

It was utter pandemonium as Igrayne tried to escort Mical into the Enclave's spartan medical facility. She did so with a great amount of shoving and pushing. When she was sure Mical was okay and no longer needed her assistance, she ran through the Enclave to search for Bao-Dur.

"Igrayne!" a frantic voice called out. Igrayne spun about to find Evy shuffling up to greet her.

"Evy—"

"No time," the other woman said breathlessly. She had rings around her eyes--whether from lack of sleep or crying, Igrayne couldn't tell.

"Have you seen Ba—"

"The Sith are deploying troops for a ground assault," Evy explained, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt. "Master Vrook ordered for the Jedi to assemble and prepare for this attack. Come with me."  
_  
I'm not longer a Jedi..._

"I can't."

"You must!"

Igrayne didn't have the luxury of choice. She did as Evy commanded, donning her Jedi robes and following the other woman out the entrance of the Enclave toward where a few of the best and most noteworthy fighters were gathered. When Igrayne and Evy approached, hushed whispers broke out among the others.

"What are they staring at?" Igrayne asked.

"Their new general," Evy said, glancing to her side. Igrayne perked up.

"Me?"

"You see another general around here?"

"I dont understand. How—"

"No time to explain. The Jedi. They put me in control of their infantry and said I should utilize you as my second-in-command. So, how about it, General?"

It had been a long time since she had heard that name. It brought a familiar flutter of satisfaction to her heart, one that she hadn't felt since Malachor V.

"I am at your service," Igrayne said with a quick salute. Evy smiled briefly then directed her attention to the rest of the troops, who stood at attention, waiting for their orders like faithful subjects.

Evy began to give a rousing speech—one designed to inspire the small but mighty force to put their heart and soul into this upcoming battle. As she listened, Igrayne couldn't help her mind from drifting away to thoughts of the Zabrak tech. With all of the activity in the Enclave, it had been difficult to stake out just where he was. She could only assume he was in whatever control booth they had set up as their base of operations, making sure all of the tech was up and running properly. That would be the best use of his skills rather than having him fight on the frontlines.

At the conclusion of her speech, Evy ignited her lightsaber and ordered the Jedi into their formation. Igrayne had missed most of the training due to her quest to find Mical. Evy had assumed the mantle of a leader quite well. It had been no different then when they were nurses and she had been the one doling out all the orders. Only now...they were doing something that mattered. Something that truly changed lives for the better.

They marched in formation out onto the wide open plains of Dantooine, past the dwellings of the kinrath and the forgotten caves. Through the ravine, up ahead, they could begin to see a sizeable Sith army amassing.

"This doesn't look good," Igrayne muttered through clenched teeth.

"Don't ever let on that the odds are not in our favor," Evy reminded her, keeping her eyes trained on the Sith force in front of them. "We want them to have hope."

"Of course. It's all we _can_ have."

"Ready your lightsaber."

Igrayne pushed the activation switch, watching the blade spring to life with a hiss. The cool metal felt suddenly sweaty in her palm as the other army approached. Trying to recall all her training over the past few months was becoming increasingly more difficult the more rude this reality became.

Igrayne closed her eyes and began meditating. She noticed several others doing similarly, too. When she opened them, the other Jedi were in an attack position, lightsabers wielded in both hands.

Evy quickly struck Igrayne's blade with her own. With a smile, she said, "For luck."

Igrayne nodded once then went forth to once again reclaim her role as General...what she was _meant_ to be.

---------------------

Where are you going?!" Bastila yelled to Trentyn as he stalked off toward the Jedi Enclave.

"To get Atton, your majesty," Tren replied. He didn't like the way Bastila had talked down to him earlier. 

"Are you two going to play drunken Pazaak together while the battle is going on?" Bastila snapped.

Trentyn got visibly angry, his jaw clenching with tension. He grabbed the Jedi's arm forcibly, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"You may not think that I care about anyone, but my sister is being kept by that bastard. I will do whatever it takes to fight, not for the Jedi, not for the Republic, but for her."

Bastila saw the burning in his piercing eyes and knew that although Tren kept an easy façade, there was much more going on underneath.

"At least you have loyalty for someone," Bastila answered.

Trentyn released Bastila from his angered grip. This was neither the time nor the place to discuss his issues with the equally problematic woman. His eyes glanced over the golden planes of Dantooine. Near their training grounds, part of the Republic army was starting to fall into formation. Ahead of them, the detachment of Jedi being led by Evy and Igrayne waited for battle to begin.

"Where will you be?" he asked her.

"I will do my battle meditation inside the Enclave."

"I must go. Should we insult each other more after the battle?" Trentyn said with a tight smile.

Bastila recognized this as an attempt to wish her luck.

"May the Force be with you, Tren."

Trentyn stared into Bastila's eyes for a moment, before taking her into his arms. He kissed her fervently and Bastila returned the kiss. He broke away from her much sooner than she would have liked.

"Don't go breaking a nail, Princess. Take care of yourself," Tren said before jogging away.

-------------------

Rani felt absolutely ridiculous as she carefully dressed herself. Here she was, hovering above Dantooine in a Sith ship, on the brink of battle, and she was forced to primp herself to look like some sort of dark queen.

Destrik had forced her to wear red, his favorite color, head-to-toe. The gown was sheer in some parts and sexy, with a low neckline bedecked with rubies and two high slits up each leg. He had also provided her with ruby jewelry, including a long string of the glittering red stones that were now woven through her long curls. 

Just as she was putting on the final ruby bangle, Destrik strode in her door.

"Darling, you look every bit the queen I know you can be."

It was meant to be a compliment, but the statement only scared Rani.

Destrik forced Rani's chin up to make her look at him.

"Smile, Darling. Your destiny is upon you. Soon, I will give you everything I promised you I would."

"I don't want this, Destrik!" Rani exclaimed, trying to wrench her face out of his grasp.

He only tightened his grip on her. His hand traveled down her jaw line as his lips hovered breadths above hers. Victory was so close, he could almost taste the sweetness of it. His hand continued to travel down, skimming her neck, and resting there.

"Don't do this, Destrik. If you kill my friends, I'll never forgive you."

Destrik's hand tightened around Rani's delicate throat, and he could sense her fear through the Force. All of his advisors told him that he took too much interest in Rani. He could fix it right now. By just a flip of his wrist, she would die…

No…he needed her. He needed to break her, devour her, conquer her.

"Carina is already dead, and I will kill the rest of them. Don't worry, I will not make you watch, except when I kill the Admiral. That viewing, my Darling, will be my victory present to you."

Destrik finally removed his tightening hand from her throat. Rani rubbed her reddening neck. Destrik turned away from her, heading out of the door.

Urgency flared up in Rani's chest. This may be her last chance to turn Destrik, and she would give it one more honest shot.

She flew to his side with uncharacteristic haste, gripping his forearm.

"Please, don't do this, Destrik. Turn away from the dark side. It will destroy you."

Destrik turned his eyes to Rani once more.

"If you care enough about me to try and turn me after all I've done to you, then I know that you care enough to be by my side after all of this is done."

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss which she didn't return, before leaving her.

Rani stood for a long time, wondering if what Destrik said was true. If he succeeded in his quest, would she learn to live as his consort?

_No, my heart belongs to another. I would sooner die…_

------------------------------------

Trentyn returned to the soon-to-be-battlefield with Atton by his side. The two friends had been training hard in anticipation of a hard battle. Although, each fought prepared to fight against the Sith, their former comrades, for the ones that they loved.

"Need help, pretty lady?" Trentyn asked Evy as he and Atton approached.

Evy tried not to meet Atton's gaze. She had chosen the Jedi, and it was painfully obvious to Atton that she was needed.

"You are just in time," Evy answered Tren. "The Sith are approaching."

Sure enough, the Sith kicked up dust as they marched towards the Enclave.

Atton had his dual blasters equipped in a flash, giving his weapons a final glance-over. Trentyn equipped his lightsaber and activated it, the deep blue blade thrummed softly.

"Good luck, man," Tren said.

"I got your back, buddy," Atton answered with a slight smile.

------------------------

Commander Oronka watched in horror as his fighters were shot down one by one. Not only was that going to cost him, but he had just received news that Lord Destrik was arriving and intended to oversee the offensive strike. He knew he was going to be a dead man if they lost this battle. His worry did not show, however, on his facial expression. He'd learned long ago that building up a façade was the best tactic when dealing with Sith leaders.

"How many fighters do we have left?" Oronka asked, grimacing.

"Sir, I believe we only have several which are not damaged. The rest seem to be malfunctioning, but we're not sure why."

"Malfunctioning?! Bloody hell! Where's that Force-forsaken mechanic?! If he did something to their ships...so help me, I'll kill him myself," Oronka thundered, pushing past men to reach the comm.. He quickly called the mechanic up.

The nervous-looking mechanic arrived shortly after, avoiding Oronka's intimidating gaze. "Yes, Commander? You summoned me."

"I did."

"For what, sir?"

"The ships are _malfunctioning_. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Oronka glared suspiciously at him.

The young mechanic began trembling. "Sir, if you're-you're assuming that I messed with the fighters, I can assure you I...did no...such—is it...hot in here?"

He suddenly began tugging at the collar around his neck, as it seemed to get very stuffy. Soon, he couldn't breathe, and tugging at his collar wasn't helping. He felt as if invisible hands gripped around his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply. He looked to Oronka, who just smiled sinisterly and turned away. Then another man, younger than Oronka but a lot more dangerous-looking entered his line of vision and with a flick of his wrist, the mechanic felt his neck snap, and then everything went black.

"We lose more mechanics that way," Oronka said in mock pity. "Good to see you again, Lord Destrik. We were afraid you might not make it."

"And miss the fall of the Republic? I would not miss it," Destrik said, grinned deviously, "for the galaxy."

"And who might this little tart be?" Oronka asked, giving Rani the once-over.

Destrik looked to her than back to his long time friend. "Hands off her. That one's mine, Oronka."

"Nice catch."

"I thought so."

Rani was sickened by their open display of friendship. She refused to see Destrik as anything but the monster he was, and if he thought that by giving her expensive items, killing her lover, and promising her the galaxy was going to win her over, he had another thing coming. But for the time being, Rani felt it best to remain silent and act her part, if only to get Destrik to lower his guard.

She thumbed the small phial of poison absentmindedly in her pocket, which she had sown into the expensive dress. Could she really kill a man that once had been so dear to her that she would have died for him? After all, a lot of the things he'd done...he'd done for her, or so he claimed. She knew there might be good in him...like there had been in Carina.

_Carina_, Rani thought sadly. She still felt the tinge of pain, of loss and grief, every time she thought of her friend. In the end, she'd sacrificed herself for not only the galaxy, but for Rani as well. It was a debt, that she'd never be able to repay. She wished that she'd been able to say goodbye to Carina, but she hoped that her friend had gotten one last measure of satisfaction in knowing that she might have saved the Galaxy before her departure.

"Darling?" Destrik's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Hrm?" she replied, barely listening.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

Destrik's eyes focused in on her, and she had to shield her mind from his penetrating gaze.

"Forgive me, this dress is a little tight," Rani lied, and the answer seemed to satisfy Destrik.

"We will have it adjusted after our victory," he said. "Come, stand beside me."

Rani did as she was requested to, although she took no matter of satisfaction in doing so.

Destrik then turned to look back at Oronka. "I hope you've set everything up as I've requested?"

"Of course, milord," Oronka said, addressing him mockingly. "Also, it might benefit you to know that the Jedi have seen fit to present some resistance as well."

Destrik snorted. "So they want to fight now, do they? Seems they need to be personally provoked to get a battle out of them. I shall enjoy watching them burn and die."

Rani felt ill, just by the tone of his voice. Her friends were down there...the same friends who were the only family, aside from Trentyn, that she had. She refused to watch them die. She would _have_ to kill Destrik, and the thought did not please her. It had the opposite affect; it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She did not like having to kill unless it was self-defense.

_I'm defending the Galaxy and my friends,_ She thought suddenly.

Unfortunately, her thought was so vehement that Destrik heard it. His attention suddenly snapped to her.

"Planning a betrayal, are we, my love?" He dragged his hand across the side of her face, sending shivers up and down her spine. His touch was so...cold, unfeeling.

Rani remained silent and was recieved with a large smack. She was in shock as she struggled to stand, her hand immediately flying to the side of her face. She tasted blood in her mouth and spit it out, leaving some residue of it on her bottom lip. Her eyes locked with Destrik's in a fierce battle of will. He glared before raising his hand to her again, but it was stopped by Oronka's interference.

"My lord, don't do something you'll regret later. Besides, you won't want to sleep with an ugly consort, now would you?" Oronka said reasonably, though his tone was cold and Rani knew he cared nothing for her.

Destrik spat at the ground at her feet uncharacteristically. She didn't know what had gotten into him, but in that moment...he seemed completely gone. It was as if the Dark Side was just using him as a vessel now. He swore that he'd never hurt or force her into anything, yet he'd just slapped her. Destrik's gaze was icy, and it chilled Rani to the bone. She was thankful for the young Sith lad who helped her stand, much to his own chagrin when his commander whacked him upside the head on his way back to his post.

"Don't think you'll get away with anything, Rani. Because you won't, not while I live." Destrik's words were hollow, and did not sound anything like him. It was as if an entity possessed him and was controlling him...but Rani knew better.

Destrik was gone, replaced by the cold and ruthless Lord Destrik.

She made her choice then.

There was nothing else she could do.

Destrik had to die.

--------------------------

"Oh, bloody hell! I got one on my tail!" Yellow Five cried over the comm unit.

"I see you, Yellow Five. Hold steady, make a steady decline and I'll get 'em," Yellow Nine's feminine voice reassured.

"You better or I'm a dead man here!"

Yellow Five went into a slight free fall, towards the rapidly approaching Dantooine plains, praying that the fighter on his tail would explode into small pieces soon. _Come on, Yellow Nine, come on..._

He continued his steady decline, waiting for an explosion behind him but the fighter was closing in and within moments, he knew he'd be crispy if Yellow Nine didn't come through. He had no choice now, he had to pull up. He did so, and just as he did, he felt the impact in his cockpit of an explosion behind him.

"Now that's how it's done, Yellow Five!" Yellow Nine whooped. "I sure got him good!

"Teaches him to mess with woman..." Yellow Ten murmured over the comm.

"Shut up, you mangy Kinrath," Yellow Nine snapped at him.

"Let's stay focused, people, we're not out of this yet," Mithic ordered. "Get into V formation and quickly. We've got several more interceptors coming close on our flank. Moving to intercept, Yellow Six, you're with me. Yellow Nine...follow us up with cover fire."

"Yes, sir!" they both chanted in unison.

The Sith interceptors were confused by the sudden lack of fighters they had on their side. The Sith pilots had watched, one by one, their allies go down in heaping piles of smoke and shrapnel. The odds were beginning to grow even, and the Sith pilots hated that fact for they knew when the odds became even, the Republic pilots would have a better chance.

"Yellow Seven, watch your tail...you got a fighter closing in." Yellow Nine warned, while pursuing her own target.

"I can handle him," Yellow Seven said arrogantly.

Yellow Nine spared another glance to her targeting computer. "Yellow Seven, he is _too close_. Get out of the damn way before you get fried!"

"I've got it under control!" he said, resenting her concern.

"No, you don't! He's too much for you, Rookie. Get the hell out of there." Yellow Nine ordered, but Yellow Seven was determined to prove his worth.

Yellow Seven sent his fighter into a tail spin, diving directly at Dantooine, and watched as the Sith on his tail followed him closely. He was going to blast this bastard out of the sky even if it killed him. His ship dived further, and he did not ease up on the controls but pushed it harder. The rest of Yellow Squadron was now yelling over the comm for him to pull up.

"This is Yellow Leader, Yellow Seven...pull up. That is an order, do you read me?" Mithic yelled over the comm.

"I've got him...almost...almost..." Yellow Seven replied, preparing to pull up.

Just as Yellow Seven began to pull up and make his ascent, the Sith fighter destroyed one of his port stabilizers, not giving him enough leeway to pull up. He plummeted nose-first into the hard, rough grass of the Dantooine plains. The small fighter erupted in a burst of flames and heavy smoke. The rest of Yellow Squadron watched in horror, praying that somehow the pilot would crawl out of the burning wreckage unscathed.

He did not. Plumes of smoke poured from the wreckage.

The Sith fighter, which had been following too closely behind, suddenly ran into the thicket of smoke and lost all visual until seeing the ground, and then everything went black for him as well.

Silence resounded throughout every Yellow Squadron pilot's cockpit.

"He got him," Yellow Eight said sadly over the comm.

-------------------

"Are the tanks deployed yet?" Oronka asked.

"Yes, sir. They are inbound towards the Jedi Enclave right now. They won't know what hit 'em," the soldier replied quickly.

Oronka smiled. "Good."

Destrik paced continuously. "It is taking too long! It shouldn't be taking this long..."

"Patience, Destrik. They will die...all in due time." Oronka said, attempting to appease his leader.

The readout screens showed many blips every which way, and it was difficult to discern enemy from ally on the screens. Oronka figured they were winning by the number of red colored blips, and that pleased him immensely. However, he was worried about the ground troops. The Jedi and Dantooine soldiers had assembled ahead of the Enclave in what seemed to be a last stand.

He'd heard stories of the Jedi's ferocity on the field of battle, and so he was slightly worried. He hadn't planned on meeting such a large resistance, for he had figured his air force would have handled the main wave, but since they were currently busy with other fighters, he had to improvise.

Oronka was not good at improvising.

"Send the tanks and infantry in. I want that Enclave down within the hour. I don't care how they do it...just _do it_," Oronka ordered stiffly.

"Yes, sir. But I think I should warn you—the Jedi have been known to take on larger forces then our own and come out on top."

"I know that! That is why I said I didn't care how they did it...just kill them!" Oronka demanded. "Kill them all!"

The soldier cowered in front of his commander, and quickly went back to typing at his post.

Oronka rubbed his forehead gently. This day was just growing worse and worse as it dragged on.

"Oronka, I want you to take a force of yourself and a few of my..._friends_ down to the surface," Destrik said through clenched teeth before adding, "I want as many Jedi as you can kept alive and brought to me."

"Destrik, that's a—aa suicide mission!" Oronka protested. His post was here, where he could order his men around and assume a leading position.

Destrik's gaze fixed on Oronka, and Oronka suddenly felt his throat constrict. "Is there a problem with that, Commander?"

"N-no, milord." Oronka said, gasping for air as he was released.

"Good," Destrik said coldly, sparing a glance at Rani. "And bring me Onasi. I want him alive!"

"Yes, Destrik," Oronka said bitterly, turning and storming off to go find Destrik's so called "friends".

Rani had remained silent until that point, still nursing her swollen lip. "You mean to kill him, don't you?"

"Of course, _darling_," he hissed at her.

Rani turned her head away from him so he couldn't see her frightened expression. "I will never forgive you if you harm any of my friends."

"I do not care. You are my consort, and you will please me, friends or no," Destrik replied nonchalantly.

"Don't you even care about how I feel about it?!" she cried, turning to face him boldly. "I thought you cared for me!"

"That was before you decided to betray me, my dear," Destrik answered, feigning a hurt tone.

"And what of you? You lied to me, made me believe you were dead! You pushed _me_ away, Destrik!" She pointed at him. "_You._"

Destrik had to restrain himself from slapping her again, and instead ordered that she be put in his quarters.

"I shall see you tonight, love, and I promise you...you will be mine," he said threateningly.

Rani turned on her heels defiantly and walked off by herself, her Sith escort close behind her.

_That is, if you live that long,_ she thought bitterly.

----------------

"Uh, Atton?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you going into close combat battle with blasters?"

"Oh, frack!" Atton cursed. "Why the hell am I going into close combat battle with blasters? I swear, this wasn't my idea..."

"Let me guess," Trentyn started mockingly, "the Force just magically gave you blasters?"

"Uh...yeah, let's go with that."

Trentyn laughed.

"Damn it! Now I'm going to have to go back and get my vibroblades..." Atton muttered, prepared to go back to the Enclave, but when he saw the approaching Sith, he knew it was too late.

"Tough luck, dude."

"Laugh it up, Sith."

"I could say the same to you, Sith."

"Shut up."

"Will you two behave like civilized adults, please?!" Igrayne demanded, assuming her position of general quite well.

"Someone's in a bad mood..." Trentyn murmured.

"If we live through this...I'm going to kill you," Igrayne threatened jokingly. To be honest, she was thankful for the two boys' lightheartedness.

"But then I'll never grow up to be a good boy!" Tren replied sarcastically.

"Good one," Atton conceded.

"Thanks, been dying to use it for a while."

"I bet. You're going to have to let me in on your other comebacks later..."

"If there is a later," Evy couldn't help but add.

"Someone's quite the pessimist here, aren't they?" Trentyn whispered to Atton.

"Shut up, Tren," Atton said defensively, glancing at Evy who was avoiding his gaze. It was painfully obvious to him that she'd chose the Jedi over him...and as much as he hated it, it was her decision and he wasn't going to try changing it.

He wanted her to be happy.

"Are you getting soft on me, Rand?"

"Go to hell, Tren," Atton replied angrily.

"After you, buddy," Tren replied, gripping his lightsaber hilt tighter.

The Sith were approaching more rapidly now, and tanks unlike any that they'd seen before were appearing into their view. They were large, and light in coloring. They seemed to have one main ion cannon, and by the looks of it, it seemed able to fire on them at any given moment if it wanted to.

Which it did.

Soon screams of pain and anguish could be heard coming from their right flank, and they could see the burning bodies of dead Jedi who had been hit by the blast, the rest of the Jedi charged forward, using their lightsabers to deflect the oncoming rain of blaster fire. Igrayne and Evy ran ahead of the wave, being the first to hit the front lines of the Sith soldiers which they cut through, manuevring around the tanks that surrounded the soldiers.

Igrayne's lightsaber sliced neatly through a Sith soldier before moving to find more prey. It was as if she wasn't here...wasn't fighting this endless wave of enemies. Her blade was a whir of light and she couldn't keep up with it, so she merely let the Force do the work for her...deflecting blaster fire and killing Sith in her effort to beat back her enemies.

Evy was doing much of the same, slaying Sith every which way, and once there was an opening large enough, she leapt onto one of the tanks, holding onto the cannon to keep her balance before severing the door leading into open. She then swung down inside it, and slayed the soldiers running the tank. Evy smiled as she realized that she was somewhat familiar with the controls.

Soon, ion cannon fire rained down not only on the Jedi but on the tanks as well, as Evy turned the tide and started wiping out the confused Sith tanks. Seeing that she was in danger remaining in it for too, long, she severed the control panel off and then leapt from it as it exploded, sending shrapnel into many close Sith soldiers. Fortunately, she had dived underneath a nearby tank, which protected her from the main blast.

Nearby, Atton and Trentyn were having the time of their lives taking out weak Sith soldiers.

"Hey, Atton!"

"Yeah?" Atton replied, shooting through some panicked Sith soldiers.

"What's your count?"

"Twenty-three!"

"Hah! Twenty-seven and counting!" Trentyn gloated.

"That large Sith only counted as one, you cheater!" Atton said, absentmindedly shooting the head off another enemy.

"Twenty-nine!"

"Twenty-five"

"Thirty-two!"

"Twenty-eight!"

Trentyn and Atton continued in their competition to see who could slay the most Sith soldiers, each determined to win.


	40. Ennui

Indy sat ensconced in a book in the Enclave's Jedi archives. She was reading up on the history of the Book of Life and the Book of Death, trying to draw up what little info she could. There wasn't much in the way of application of the books; all that existed was theory.

Indy shut the book with a frustrated sigh. She must have hit it closed pretty hard, because the ground beneath her trembled from the impact. She raised an eyebrow.

_That's odd..._

The broad sweep of the room began shuddering in response to the trembles that were being sent through the earth's core. Indy shot to her feet, gathering up both the books in her arms. She looked up, through the single dome that emitted skylight. Above them, a number of ships hovered close. From time to time, she saw enemy fighters whizzing past her line of view before disappearing once again out of her line of vision.

_Frack...the battle's started and I haven't had time to crack these_, she thought desperately, shoving them into her pack. Her research would have to wait until she had some quiet time to think. Not that there would be much of that in the days to come...

Indy ran up through the snaking corridors of the Enclave into the utter chaos on the upper level. Medical capsules were arriving, bearing hollowed out carcasses of the dead and still-moving wounded bodies. While the nurses patiently tried to treat their charges, more soldiers rushed out to take the place of the ones that had just been lost.

Indy grimaced. She wasn't sentimental, but that sight was enough to tug at her heartstrings. There was simply no place here for displaced war veterans. Even the medical patients would have to be moved eventually to get out of the line of fire. As it was now, they were only complicating matters. It seemed there were more wounded flooding in than there were soldiers to replace them.

Indy stripped off her outer jacket and began suiting up. She was going to go join them in the battle to provide long-range cover fire. She'd need to keep a good distance away, so perhaps she could bug one of the Jedi for an energy shield or something to protect her from getting eliminated by the ships hovering nearby.

Indy strapped her blasters onto her legs, preparing to fight.

-------------------

Igrayne dodged another bolt from a long-range trooper's blaster rifle, weaving her body in a graceful arc despite the precarious situation. She relied heavily on the Force to guide her movements. Every motion was precise and calculated, leaving no margin of error. Error was what she couldn't afford in this battle.

Her blade danced excitedly, mirroring her own inner adrenaline rush as she plunged it headlong into the trooper's chest and watched him topple away. Another trooper quickly took his place, and she resumed fighting. It seemed as if there was always another. She didn't know for how long her strength would hold out, but using the Force would extend whatever limited stamina she was fast depleting.

Having the rest of the tanks knocked out made her job easy. She didn't have to worry about being incinerated while fighting her opponents, thanks to her friends.

She knocked down one last trooper and waved her hand in a gesture to indicate to her soldiers to come around and flank the Sith troopers on each side. It was a tactic she and Evy had devised shortly before the troopers came bolting across the plains at full speed.

It worked as planned. With the flanks surrounding them, the troopers were surrounded and vastly outnumbered. They had cut off their retreat. Their forces were slowly dwindling, and Igrayne felt a glimmer of hope for the first time that whole day.

She renewed her assault with increased vigor, spurred on by the sight of their rapidly dwindling forces. Evy shouted something to her, but she couldn't hear what it was.

And then an intense stab of pain shot through her head, momentarily blackening her vision. Igrayne let out an audible gasp, the wind having been knocked from her chest, and fell backwards, releasing her grasp on the lightsaber.

"Watch out!" a voice cried. Igrayne could only see a dark shadow standing above her and what looked to be a sure grin on its face.

The shadow diffused into sunlight as another figure came crashing into it. The two scrambled about for some time, giving Igrayne the time she needed to roll out of the way and pick up her lightsaber. Her vision was slowly coming back, but she felt dazed and confused.

"General," a sharp voice said. Igrayne's heart skipped a beat in her chest.

"General, are you all right?" the voice said. She realized all at once that it wasn't the kind, soft voice to which she had been accustomed, but a more stern and authoritative one. When her vision cleared, she noticed Kevan standing in front of her.

"Kevan," she said, clasping his arm.

"No time, General. Stand up," the Zabrak said, wrapping an arm around her waist to help bring her to her feet. He was incredibly strong; he had her on her feet in seconds. Igrayne rubbed her temples shortly before another trooper jumped toward her. Kevan took him on, giving her time to clear her senses and prepare for a new attack.

Kevan hadn't been assigned to the ground assault, but that didn't prevent the Zabrak from rushing to the aid of his General. He'd been manning one of the four turrets that guarded the Enclave's exterior when he noticed Igrayne fall. He had sprinted to her side just in time. If he had been a few seconds later...the consequences might have been unpleasant.

"Thank you," Igrayne said. "Now get back to your post! That's an order from _your_ General."

"Yes, General," Kevan said, a familiar smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He returned to the turret and began targeting some of the Sith transports through his reticule.

--------------

The Sith continued to advance as Indy blasted away at them. She took out all of her anger and frustration out on the enemy soldiers, missing few of her marks. Not only had Han left the planet before the battle, but Indy had found a reference in one of the books she had been reading. 

The passage explained that there was an incantation in the Book of Death that could harm any who had been resurrected. It wouldn't solve all of their problems, but it would sure help weaken the ancient Sith Lords that Destrik had resurrected. Apparently, the spell was more effective the longer one had been dead before resurrection. But her knowledge was useless without the Book.

Indy spotted Trentyn swinging his navy blue lightsaber and savagely cutting down a Sith soldier. He rarely called on his Force powers, but he fought with an efficiency that was impressive to Indy. It seemed he fought for something much more personal than keeping the galaxy from the Sith.

------------------

Her Sith escort followed closely at Rani's heels, even though her stride was brisk. She felt the weight of the phial of poison in her pocket, and it was strangely comforting.

"You will stay here, until Lord Destrik calls on you," the Sith guard informed her, before closing and locking the door to her quarters.

Rani paced the main chamber, her agitation with her helplessness growing at each step. Although, Rani had always strived to live a life of goodness and integrity, she had never been very religious. However, an essential part of her believed in the Force and its power over all things. At this point in time, she wondered why the Force had led her to this situation. There were others, much more capable than herself, why was she the one to carry such a burden?

Finally, Rani's stalking stopped, as she resigned to her responsibility. She seriously doubted that she could make a difference in this war for the Galaxy, but she had to try. Too many times had she waited in futility as those she loved suffered.

Rani approached HK-47, who had been powered down. She had been worried that the violently protective droid would get himself destroyed attacking Destrik. 

"HK, I know that I've always kept you from killing, but now I need your assassin skills."

"Keen declaration: I am quite eager to participate in some unadulterated violence."

"Sorry to put a damper on your fun, but I need us to be as covert as possible for now."

"Regretful resignation: As you wish, my irritatingly gentle Master."

"Okay, I need to get to the medbay of this ship; do you know where it is?"

"Pleased statement: Yes, I am quite familiar with the schematics of this model."

Rani paused for a second. This droid must have been through quite a bit to have spent time in a Sith ship such as the one they were on. Such ships were only reserved for the use of very powerful leaders of the Sith.

"How did you… never mind. Let's go, HK. Lead the way!"

HK-47 easily cracked the lock on the door to Rani's quarters. They slipped out into the corridor, which Rani found to be empty. It wasn't surprising; most of the soldiers that had been on the ship were now on Dantooine, battling her friends. Most of the few others who remained on the ship were in the command center.

The woman in red and her droid picked their way carefully to the medical room of the ship. Once inside, Rani shuffled through the medical supplies, while HK-47 stood guard at the entrance. Rani's heart was leaping out of her chest. She wasn't used to sneaking around or being on "missions" like her friends were.

Due to her time spent with Carina, Igrayne, and Evy while they were nursing, Rani was now very familiar with the organization of medical supplies, and she soon found the syringes. Her hands ran over the shrink-wrapped columns. She would only need one for her purposes. She picked a syringe that was small enough to fit in her pocket, but that had a thick needle, so that it would quickly deliver the poison. Rani begun to place it in her pocket as it was, but then realized with a start that she should get the syringe ready so that she could use it at a moment's notice.

Rani carefully peeled away the plastic wrapping, and then pulled the hard cap off of the needle. There was no use in trying to keep it sterile, the person receiving the shot would die within moments. Rani uncapped the phial with the poison and dipped the needle into the toxic mixture. Her hand was commendably steady as she filled the syringe with the deadly liquid. She snapped the hard cap back onto the needle to protect herself from it, and then pocketed the syringe.

"Let's go back, HK, I have what I came for."

"Stupefied inquiry: Is that your weapon?"

"You can't expect to kill someone like Destrik with a blaster!" Rani answered. "How else am I supposed to kill him?"

"Suggestion: Electrocution works well. Evisceration and decapitation are also effective, or um, so I've heard."

"Thanks for the suggestions, but I don't think that'll work either," Rani replied with a short temper.

"Statement: I'm not sure how you can believe that you can come to logical conclusions."

"Excuse me, HK?"

"Qualification: It's just that you are an organic meatbag, Master. And all that water… how the noise from your insides sloshing around doesn't drive you mad, I have no idea."

Rani let out a sigh, covering her face with her hands as if controlling her emotions.

"Do you have an extra blaster?" she asked, realizing that being armed wasn't such a bad idea.

"Answer: Yes, Master. You may have this one."

HK-47 produced a shiny blaster for Rani, and at that moment, she was very thankful of Bao-Dur's foresight when he upgraded her droid. Rani was forced to carry the blaster as she walked. Her gown was too skimpy, with no place to put the weapon, and the one pocket she had made, was too small for a blaster.

As the two rounded a corner, voices sounded in the door beside them. They both dashed back and hid themselves as two Sith guards exited a room.

"Are you sure Lord Destrik does not want us to guard the books?" one of the Sith asked the other.

"Yes, he said that the security systems are good enough."

"Good enough? But those are the Books of Life and Death!"

"Just follow your orders."

The two Sith walked the opposite direction of Rani and HK-47's hiding spot, and once their footsteps could no longer be heard, Rani ran to the door of the room they had exited from.

"HK, can you get this door open?"

The droid began tinkering with the small computer conduit at the door.

"Assertion: The Zabrak tech who upgraded me was quite skillful. I will have to add my computing skills to my already vast assortment of language and slaughtering abilities."

Rani stayed silent, allowing HK to fiddle with the computer.

The door swished open in moments.

"That's it? That's all it took? Those Sith made it sound like it would be a lockdown or something…" Rani said as she stayed outside the room, carefully looking for traps.

"Statement: I deactivated many security precautions. There were security cameras, gas vents, turrets…"

"Okay, HK, thank you. Now let's get those books." Rani stepped carefully into the room, and HK followed. The room was fairly dim and empty. The only furniture in the room were two tables that were chest-high to Rani. The Book of Life lay on one of the tables and the Book of Death lay on the other. She stepped up to the lighter Book of Life and reached out a tentative hand to touch the cover. It was warm to the touch.

Suddenly, a panel in the wall opened just as the door to the hold clamped shut, cutting off any chance at escape. Rani raised her blaster at the droid that scurried out into the room. It immediately began shooting at Rani.

Rani ducked behind the table and let off a few returning shots at the droid. Nothing happened.

"Warning: It has a shield!"

Rani poked her head over the table and saw the blue glimmer surrounding the security droid.

"Shit!" she cursed as she struggled to keep her body behind the table as the barrage of the droid's blaster fire came at her.

HK took cover behind the other table and seemed to be looking for something.

"HK, what do we do now?" Rani asked, a bad feeling creeping over her body.

"Promise: Don't worry, Master, I will take care of it."

HK held to his word, as he threw a small object at the droid. It landed right underneath it, right before the object exploded.

Rani jumped out from behind the table right after the explosion and delivered two perfect shots to the droid, destroying it immediately.

"What was that explosion?" Rani asked between pants.

"Proclamation: It was an ion grenade to take out the inferior droid's shield."

They had made a considerable amount of noise, and Rani was sure that someone would come to investigate soon.

She made to grab the Book of Death, before noticing the imprint on the cover of the book.

"Damn it! This can't be opened without Destrik's crystal," Rani realized in a flurry of disappointment.

She gathered the two books anyway in her arms. They were surprisingly heavy, and she was having a hard time holding both of them and her blaster at the same time.

"HK, I need you to get these to Indy as quickly as you can. She's on the surface of Dantooine, maybe she'll know some other way to open them, and then maybe she can do something useful with them."

The droid obligingly took the Books from her, and he set off at a quick pace.

"Wait! How are you going to get them to her?" Rani called while following the droid.

The droid strode quickly into another room that was filled with computer conduits.

"Explanation: Master, I will open a docking bay and 'borrow' a ship to fly down to the surface." The droid told her about his planned escape as he worked on one of the conduits.

Not yet ready to leave her droid, Rani fiddled with the computer next to him, scrolling through menus. She probably should have been more careful considering what damage could be wrought by an ignorant user, but by some stroke of luck she found the security camera feed of the control room.

She watched, enraptured, as Destrik Force-strangled a Sith soldier, apparently angry with what the man had to say. The soldier slumped to the ground, his eyes dead and glassy. Then, Destrik slammed his inactivated lightsaber against the durasteel wall in a fury, cracking it. Several, Sith scurried forward to pick his damaged saber up, and he shouted instructions at one of them, whom promptly scurried off out of the view of the camera.

Rani grabbed the metal arm of her assassin droid.

"HK, where would they go to repair a broken lightsaber?"

"Inquiry: Master, are you suggesting that we retrieve that crystal?"

"Yes, Indy will need it to open those books."

"Surprised declaration: You are not the cowardly meatbag I thought you were!"

"Did you just call me a meatbag?"

"Retraction: Did I say that out loud? While it is true you are a meatbag, I should refrain from addressing you as such."

"Let's go HK," Rani said, anxious to get him on his way to Indy.

HK-47 certainly did know his way around the ship, and he led them to the maintenance hold. The ship was eerily empty in most areas, and Rani silently wondered how the battle on Dantooine was going.

"Proposal: Master, I should take care of this. There is only one meatbag in there."

"Okay, but I'm going in there if I hear any trouble."

The droid stowed his weapon and marched towards the tech that was furiously working on Destrik's lightsaber. The tech turned around and faced HK, his eyes bugging out a bit as he took in the droid's impressive appearance.

"What? What are you? What are you doing here?"

"Deceit: Nothing to see here mister, just a regular droid. Move along, move along."

"Wha—"

Whatever the man was going to say was never finished, because HK slammed the butt of his blaster right on crown of the man's head, just in time for Rani to witness it. She went to the side of the man to check if he was dead, while HK extracted the important crystal from the lightsaber.

"HK, he's still breathing but he's out cold."

"Irritated statement: I should have killed him. Master, I think you are a bad influence."

"Listen, HK, it is absolutely imperative that you find Indy and give her the books and the crystal. After you do that, I want you help out the Republic and the Jedi by helping to fight the Sith. If you see Trentyn, Igrayne, Evy, or Carth, you are to follow their orders, until I see you again… if I see you again."

Rani suddenly got emotional. This might be the last time she would ever see the droid. This might be the last day of her friends' lives, of her brother's life, of Carth's life, of her life.

"Confession: You may be a pathetic meatbag, but I like you, Master."

Rani couldn't help but laugh, and a few sad tears leaked out of her eyes. She wanted to hug the droid, but thought better of it. HK looked embarrassed enough as it was.

"Go, HK."

The droid ran down the hallway and out of Rani's sight.

-------------

"Forty-five!"

"Thirty-nine!"

"Forty-six!"

"Forty-two!"

"You skipped some numbers!"

"You're imagining things."

"Atton Rand, you are one lowdown cheater."

"No wonder we get along so well."

Trentyn and Atton burst into laughter while continuing their competitive slaughter. Sith were now panicking, for their leading commanders had all been slaughtered at the beginning of the battle. They had gone in with the misconstrued idea that most everyone would be dead thanks to the help of their fighters, but the fighters had gotten distracted and were now engaged in tense dog fights in the skies above. The Sith—with the idea that they would meet no or little resistance--had put their commanders in the front lines, and they had been brutally cut down by the advancing Jedi Knights.

It had been such a carefully constructed plan that no one had thought to create a back up plan, thus they were now in sore need of more troops and leaders. The Sith soldiers were in such a mess of confusion that they began mistakenly firing upon their own personnel. Screams ran rampant throughout the battlefield, with the dead and dying lying every which way one could see. Most of the dead were clothed in Sith armor, which gave the appearance that the Republic and Jedi were winning.

And that was just what was happening. The Republic and Jedi knights were winning their battle against the Sith and the dark side.

"Dude, watch your damn fire! You nearly took my head off just now!"

"Key word there: _nearly_," Atton replied smugly. "Relax, man."

"I'll relax when you stop aiming at—Force. Damn it, Atton! You did that on purpose!" Trentyn cried, dodging out of the way just as Atton fired on some Sith behind him.

"I just saved your life, buddy. Is that any way to say thanks?" Atton said, feigning innocence.

Trentyn threw his lightsaber at a Sith right behind Atton and it nearly sliced Atton's head off as well. He smiled arrogantly as his weapon came hurtling back and landed easily within his the grip of his hand.

"Now, you did _that_ on purpose!"

"Did what?"

"Fine...fine...we're even."

"Not quite."

Trentyn's blade cut through a Sith to Atton's right, while Atton shot a Sith to Trentyn's left. They looked to each other, raised their hands, and clapped them together.

"We make quite the team, Rand."

"When you're not trying to kill me."

"Hey, you started it."

"Forty-Nine!"

"Hey!"

"Fifty!"

Soldiers around them were dropping like flies.

"Bring it, Rand."

"I intend to."

------------------

Sweat trickled down the side of Evy's face. She grimaced, dabbing at a small cut on her forehead that she'd aquired rolling out of the way of a Sith's vibroblade. She hated war more than anything. It seemed like a thing that swallowed life, feeding off the deaths of innocents. War was a black hole consuming the galaxy and ending lives that should have been lived longer.

War had taken Jeran from her.

She would never be able to get used to the scene of the dead lying upon the battlefield, their innards torn and pools of blood surrounding their broken and battered bodies. It was as if she was in some horror holo and she couldn't escape it. Freedom was not free, however, and war did serve some purposes. What she was doing right now...her purpose was much more meaningful.

She was fighting for civilization, for the Republic that she loved. Her eyes constantly glanced over to Atton, and she knew he was forbidden to her now, but her heart would always belong to him. She seemed distant from the battle, spacing herself from it so she didn't have to focus and think about what she was doing. Because what she was doing was what she hated.

She was taking lives. Too many to count, and she did not want to...but there was no other option.

So she kept fighting.

"Evy, watch your back!" Igrayne cried, breaking her out of her daze.

She moved out of the way just as a blade came crashing down beside her, and with a swift uppercut she took another life. She looked away as the blood began pouring out of the wound she'd inflicted on the soldier. It was then when she saw the face of the soldier; he was no older than sixteen. He was just a kid. She'd _killed_ a _child_. The empty and fightened look on his face haunted Evy as she stumbled away from the bleeding body.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she nearly jumped. "It was self defense."

"I killed a child, Igrayne," Evy murmured, holding back tears.

"He was a Sith, and there was nothing else you could have done," Igrayne said, using her lightsaber to deflect incoming blaster bolts.

Evy's gaze dropped, and Igrayne pushed her out of the way just as ion fire from a nearby tank fired at them. "Evy! People die in war...that's just how it is! Snap out of it or you're going to be one of them!"

Evy's blade rose once again in a defensive stance, and she nodded.

Igrayne tried to soften her tone, remembering that this wasn't the Mandalorian Wars...and although she may be a General, she was still Evy's friend. Her friend was terrified of war, that much she knew.

"You saved him from a life of oppression, if it means anything," she said softly, before turning and rushing off to aid some outnumbered Jedi.

Evy tried to shrug away the look on that kid's face, but it kept appearing in her mind...reminding her of the previous war; the war that had claimed Jeran's life. She hadn't been able to make a difference then...but she would this time. Of this she was certain.

-------------------------

Vrook stood, stoic as ever, at the front of the security room, monitoring the battle from the safety of the Jedi Enclave. So far, they had beaten back the Sith but he had a feeling that the true battle that would define this war had yet to come. The Sith hadn't sent in any Force-users yet, which worried him greatly. They had seen to take them out swiftly, with little opposition. They had been wrong, which had given the Jedi the element of surprise.

"Masters, they're attempting to cut out power," Bao-Dur said calmly from his position at a small console. "A small group of Sith has landed not far from our current position and are trying to flank us."

"Send word to Yellow Squadron that we need them back here immediately," Vrook commanded. "We're going to need some cover fire."

Vandar sat in his small seat behind the rest of the masters, in deep meditation with Bastila beside him. His thoughts were focused elsewhere, and not on the present battle. He had a feeling this was merely the distraction for a larger plan at work. This war could merely be hiding the Sith's true intentions. He frowned, as his eyes snapped open.

"Sense a great disturbance in the Force, I do," he said softly, so only Bastila could hear him.

She did not open her eyes, clearly trying to focus on her battle meditation. "As do I, Master. What do you suppose it could be?"

"Unsure, I am. Investigate this, we will, once concluded this war is," Vandar replied simply, standing and hobbling over to the security consoles. "Master Vrook, curious I am, of how our forces our doing."

Vrook frowned, which did not indicate that they were doing well or not for he frowned most of the time. "The admiral has seen fit to go out and fight against my better judgment."

Vandar chuckled. "Know Carth, I do. Defiant as ever, he is. A great ally for the Republic, he is. Let him fight, I say," Vandar said. "Perhaps help take his mind off other things, it will."

Vrook merely turned away and continued barking out orders over the comm system.

Meanwhile, Yellow Squadron was beginning to have difficulties of their own. Their systems were malfunctioning due to some mysterious force field that had surrounded Dantooine, and it was beginning to mess with their electrical instruments. Yellow Four had nearly gotten his tail shot off due to a miscalculation caused by the system failure.

"Stick close to the ground, squadron. We need to make sure that whatever is screwing with our instruments doesn't cause more damage than it already has," Mithic ordered over the comm.

"Count on those Sith to cheat," Yellow Five complained. "They couldn't win a fair fight if their life depended on it."

Everyone groaned.

"Come on! It was funny!" Yellow Five defended.

"Only in your mind," Yellow Nine retorted.

"Stop picking on me!" Yellow Five cried indignantly, before firing on another Sith fighter causing it to explode into small pieces that blended in well with the darkened sky.

The fight intensified as the Sith sent their last squadron of fighters to pursue the pesky Republic fighters. Yellow Sqaudron had to multi-task now, keeping a close eye on the ground forces while also making sure they, themselves don't get blasted out of the sky. Mithic kept a close watch on as many of his pilots as he could while still pursing his own target.

Suddenly, there was a crackling that came over the comm speaker and everyone had to throw their head sets off to avoid being deafened by the sound. After hearing it stop, they put it back on.

"What in Force's name was that?!" Yellow Eight cried angrily. He'd lost his target due to that small distraction.

There was silence for a moment.

"Uh...that was me," Yellow Five said in a small voice.

"Why am I not surprised?" Yellow Nine replied, exasperated.

Mithic sighed. "What happened?"

"I might have...uh...spilt a little something on my console," he said, and he could almost see Yellow Nine rolling her eyes at him.

"Were you drinking Niatnuom Wed again?" Yellow Two asked in a voice that betrayed his disbelief.

"No..." he said instinctively. "Okay, maybe..."

There was a resounding groan over the comm.

"I can't help it! The stuff's addictive!"

"That's only because it's full of sucrose!" Yellow Three informed.

"Sorry, guys, but I'm going to have to land...I sort of fried my system."

"You have got to be kidding me," Mithic mumbled under his breath.

Yellow Five switched his comm off and quickly made an emergency landing, then he went to go get some more Niatnuom Wed.

----------------

The battle raged on relentlessly as Evy was caught in a deadly dance with several Sith troopers. Her mind seemed to be on auto-pilot as she effortlessly spun and twirled her illuminated blade, slashing through body after body… and she was surprised by how quickly and easily she dispatched of them. The concept of so much death surrounding her made her nauseous. She had never liked to think of herself as a killer, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The blood stains that marred her previously pristine Jedi robes bore testament to that fact.

She had long lost sight of her friends, as they were caught somewhere in the desperate fray among the battlefield. Every time she thought about them, she felt tinge of worry for their lives. Deep down, she knew that they were more than capable fighters, but her nightmarish visions seemed to be illuminated as she regarded the surrounding battle. She could only pray that her most disturbing visions were merely glimpses of her possible future, and not something that was already decided. She had already lost one good friend when Carina valiantly perished, and she had no intention of having to deal with any other unnecessary deaths in the war. As she reflected upon the fate of her friends, a trooper narrowly missed cleaving her arm clean off before she ran him through with her lightsaber.

_You cannot think such things,_ she mentally scolded herself, as she forced herself to clear her mind and be more wary of her surroundings. _Such thoughts in perilous times will only lead to a quicker death…you need to stay focused._

As she continued to fight, she caught a glimpse of Atton out of the corner of her eye and her heart gave an unexpected leap in her chest. He was becoming increasingly close to her as he fought his way through the mob of soldiers, and she silently wondered if he was intentionally making an attempt to get near her. As always, Tren was alongside him, fighting with equal fervor.

Evy was fighting off another group of troopers as a faint beeping noise reached her ears. The sound was not completely unfamiliar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. Before she had time to analyze the origin of such a noise, a series of shouts and frenzied voices called from behind her, and she spun around in time to see Atton running straight at her.

"Everybody, hit the dirt! Get down! Get down!" 

Before she could even register what was happening, Evy felt as Atton smashed against her with full force, knocking her painfully to the ground as an incredible blast shook the earth. She could feel the heat of the explosion licking her body as shrapnel from a nearby tank rained down upon them like a fiery inferno. Luckily, she was shielded from the majority of the explosion due to the fact that Atton was lying on top of her, but it was enough to make anyone feel disoriented. As the deafening sound of the blast faded, Evy's ears were ringing and her body felt as if it was immobilized from shock. 

It took her several moments to get her bearing, but she finally regained the ability to use her limbs. She shifted slightly, gently prompting Atton to get off her as she nudged him. When the scoundrel remained motionless, a wave of panic rose into Evy's chest and her mind raced frantically.

_Oh Force no, Atton…no no no!_

Although she was weakened, Evy managed to push Atton off her and into a lying position upon the ground. He gave a groan. It was then that she noticed a large piece of shrapnel protruding from his abdomen, apparently caused by the previous explosion. The sight of the grievous wound made her stomach flip she as she fought back a wave of nausea, instinctively pulling Atton closer to her.

Atton stared up at her with glazed eyes, fighting to find words.

"You're… not hurt?" he rasped, trying to speak despite the pain.

"I'm fine," she said quietly. "Thanks to you, I'm just fine."

_But you're not. Force, why did you have to go and do that?! That shrapnel was meant for me!_

As she continued to assess his injury, Tren caught sight of them from across the field as he rushed to their side. He had narrowly escaped the blast by diving another tank that had been nearby.

"Hey, guys, are you all right?" he asked, concern apparent in his tone as he ran toward them. "That was one hell of a blast…"

When he finally reached her, Tren dropped to the ground beside Evy, looking upon the scene before him in absolute horror. He seemed to be at quite a loss for words as his gaze fell upon Atton's wound.

"Oh, Force… is he—?"

"Tren, go get help!" Evy ordered, as Tren continued to stare at his injured companion. He patted Atton on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Hang in there, buddy. Don't you dare give up on me, okay? I still have a competition to win and I want you there to see its finish…"

Tren winked at him as Atton gave a wan smile, but he looked at Evy seriously before running off to find some sort of help.

Evy continued to examine Atton's injury as her hands skimmed frantically over it. The Jedi shook her head sadly and fought back tears, feeling absolutely helpless. His wound was grave… even life-threatening. If he didn't receive medical attention soon, he would surely die of internal injuries and blood loss. It seemed that all of the medical personnel were beyond reach…too far away to be of any assistance. Atton must have noticed the hopeless look in her eyes, because he merely said, "It's bad… isn't it?"

It was a statement and not a question.

She hesitated a moment before speaking, nodding her head slightly.

"Yeah…it's bad," she said sympathetically. She couldn't bear to lie to his face in such a dire situation. "If I pull this out, I might be able to stop the bleeding. But we're not in a medical facility and—"

"Just do it," Atton said simply, cutting her off. His eyes were pleading with her to help him, to do anything to stop his pain…

Evy regarded him with a grim expression before she took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she was about to do. She grasped the offensive piece of metal with both hands before giving it a firm tug, causing Atton to howl in pain as the shrapnel was pulled from his body. A river of blood immediately gushed from the wound, flowing freely as Evy removed her robe and pressed it firmly against the injury in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

The next several minutes seemed to pass by in slow motion as Evy made a futile attempt at keeping Atton's bleeding under control. She held him close, trying to comfort him to the best of her ability, but there was so much blood… In a matter of minutes, her robe was stained crimson. Atton was becoming increasingly more pale with each passing second, and as she looked upon him, harsh realization dawned upon her. 

Atton was _dying_.

_This can't be happening,_ she thought frantically. _I'm in hell, this can't be real!_

"So…I guess I lied, huh?" said Atton finally, his voice weak and shaking.

"What?"

"When I said that we'd both live to see the end of this war…"

"Don't talk like that!" scolded Evy, trying to keep her quivering voice under control. "You're going to be fine, alright? I'm going to save you…"

"It's too late for savin' me and you know it," Atton said through gritted teeth. "It's just… it's not fair. I don't want to die in front of you."

"Shhhh… it's all right," she soothed. "You're not going to die." Tears were beginning to squeeze themselves from her eyes against her will as she pulled Atton close to her chest. It was no use trying to stop the bleeding any longer… it simply would not cease.

"No, it's not all right," Atton stated, as his voice grew stronger. "I lied to you… lied to you all along… I never told you, but I think I was afraid…"

"I don't understand…"

Evy noted that it was becoming increasingly more difficult for Atton to speak. His body was going into shock, and she knew that he didn't have much longer. Atton reached a trembling hand to Evy's face, touching her cheek gently with his bloodstained fingers. She looked upon him sorrowfully as she placed her hand over his, holding it to her face, and her tears continued to flow.

"Loved you from the moment I first saw you…" Atton said in a far-off voice, looking longingly into her eyes. "Thought you were a dream…"

"I love you, too, Atton," Evy replied, as she choked on a sob. "You made me feel alive again."

Before Atton could say anything else, she gently pressed her lips to his, tasting their velvet sweetness. They lacked their usual warmth, but as she kissed him, images of their good times spent together flashed simultaneously through her mind. The first time she met him on Telos, their first kiss, the way she had tended to him after being injured by Destrik, and finally, the first time they had made love. She would forever remember her times with Atton as the only time she was ever truly happy with her life… even happier than when she had been with Jeran…

After a few moments, Evy hesitantly pulled her lips from his and he removed his hand from her face, leaving a stain upon her cheek. The crimson liquid looked startlingly red upon her fair complexion as it marred her delicate features. She didn't bother holding herself back as she sobbed uncontrollably, and Atton managed to wipe a tear from her cheek.

"Stay strong for me, okay, sweets? Promise to stay strong…."

"I will," she said determinedly, although she wasn't sure she could keep such a promise.

"And tell Tren that my final count was seventy-one," Atton said quietly, as a weak smile passed over his features for a brief moment.

Evy gave a strangled laugh, nodding.

"Okay, I'll do that."

Atton seemed to struggle to breathe as his chest constricted painfully and he grasped Evy's sleeve, looking at her helplessly. He was startlingly pale as he gave a feeble cough, as blood dribbled down his chin.

"I'm sorry I don't have lightsaber to give you…" he said half-jokingly. His voice was hardly a whisper.

"It's all right," sobbed Evy, offering him a faint smile as she placed her hand upon his chest. "You gave me your heart, and that's all that matters…"

She kissed his forehead, allowing her tears to shower his face.

"I love you, Atton Rand. Always and forever."

Another smile graced Atton's features before he slumped back in Evy's arms, finally slipping into unconsciousness. He was still alive, but barely clinging to life. As she looked upon him with wide, watery, eyes, the code that Jeran had taught her all those years ago suddenly resurfaced in her mind, loud and clear. 

_There is no emotion; there is peace.  
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.  
There is no passion; there is serenity.  
There is no death; there is the Force_

There is the Force.

Evy closed her eyes and concentrated hard, determined not to let Atton's life slip away from her. She would not lose him as she'd lost Jeran. She simply couldn't, or else she would forever be a broken woman. She repeated the Jedi code in her head as she placed her hands over Atton's wound, focusing harder than she ever had in her life. As she did so, something unexplainable happened.

To her utter surprise and amazement, Evy felt as an overwhelming energy enveloped her body, empowering her and giving her strength. She had never felt such a strange sensation in her life. For once, she finally seemed at peace as all conscious thought drifted from her mind. The energy seemed to flow through her veins, through every part of her body and soul, until she felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips. A faint glow emanated from her hands as they hovered above Atton's injury and as she opened her eyes to regard what was happening, her eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear.

_This can't be possible…_

Against all odds, the gaping wound in Atton's abdomen was becoming increasingly smaller, as the edges merged neatly back together. It was if some invisible force was stitching him back up, healing his wounds… and in a matter of minutes, there was no more blood, no more pain, no more death…

Before she could realize the extent of what she had done, an unbearable weariness passed over Evy's body. She felt extremely lightheaded and she teetered for several moments before slumping down upon the ground beside Atton as unconsciousness claimed her.


	41. End of the Battle and Finale

The lights in the workshop of the Enclave were bright, bathing the entire room with a white glow that facilitated Bao-Dur's intense work. He had stripped himself of his Jedi robes, and instead wore his tight, dark green shirt under his black coveralls. Since the beginning of the battle, he had holed himself in the room, working feverishly on the weapon that would hopefully end the battle in the Republic's favor.

He was able to concentrate fully on his work, only because through their Force bond, he could feel that Igrayne was still thriving. He couldn't be out there to protect her, but the Jedi Council had insisted that Bao make the explosives. The Republic aided by the Jedi were holding their own out there, but the end of the battle would be far off and the conclusion uncertain if things continued as they were. Who knew what the Sith would throw at them next?

Bao was working so intensely on his delicate work with the dangerous materials that he didn't notice the Jedi master come in.

"Bao-Dur, we need those fleet destroyer missiles. Are they finished?" Vrook questioned flatly.

"Yes, Master Vrook, they are ready to be fitted on the craft."

"Are you sure that no damage will come to Dantooine?" Vrook asked harshly.

"If the missiles hit Darth Destrik's flagship, only the ship along with the surrounding Sith vessels will be damaged. Dantooine and our soldiers will be safe."

_Not like what happened on Malachor,_ Bao-Dur thought sadly.

When the Council had first asked him to make the missiles, Bao-Dur had wanted to refuse. Once he had created a weapon that ended a war, but along with destroying the Mandalorian fleet, many Republic soldiers had died. The Mass Shadow Generator and its consequences filled Bao with a pain and guilt that he had never been able to quite let go. 

However, the Jedi Council had convinced him that he had to make these missiles. Bao knew that he could create the sort of weapon that the Jedi were asking him for, but the fear of unintended consequences haunted the normally self-possessed Zabrak.

The finished Fleet Destroyer missiles that Bao-Dur built were then attached to a newly repaired Republic fighter. The pilot spoke with Bao-Dur, receiving his instructions while gulping down a strange yellow drink.

"The strength of the explosives should be great enough to take out the flagship as long as you get a direct hit on it. I've equipped you with two, just in case there is some problem with the first. These haven't been tested…" Bao instructed.

The young pilot choked on his drink.

"These things haven't been tested?!"

"We didn't have time, soldier! Just take out that ship!" Vrook bellowed, looking angry that someone should try to question him.

"Okay, Sir, but I expect to get as much Niatnuom Wed as I want when I get back," the pilot demanded playfully as he leapt into the pilot's seat. 

Bao-Dur cracked a tiny smile at the pilot's comment.

"May the Force be with you," Bao said.

"And may your missiles work!" The pilot answered.

In the command center, the new plan was being transmitted.

"Yellow Leader, there is a new objective. Yellow Five is back in the air, and we need him to destroy the Flagship with the missiles we have equipped him with.

"Command, I should be the one to do that," Mithic answered, concerned about the safety of his pilots.

"Negative, Yellow Leader, there was no time. Yellow Five has the missiles and must blow up that ship." The new leader at the command center was not Admiral Onasi, and Mithic noticed but was too focused on the air battle to question it.

"All right, squadron, new objective. Protect Yellow Five. He has some precious cargo to unleash on the Sith flagship." John Mithic instructed the pilots as he swung his fighter around to accompany Yellow Five.

"Glad _someone_ decided to join us," Yellow Nine said with attitude.

"I'm on an important mission, woman, don't distract me," Yellow Five replied.

"I'm surprised it's a woman distracting you and not that nasty drink," Yellow Three added.

"All right, Yellow team, let's focus here. We can win this war if we deliver the goods." Mithic commanded.

"Let's shoot this shit down!" Yellow Eight cheered.

----------------------

Admiral Carth Onasi had left his command post. There was nothing more irritating to him then having to sit in the relative safety of the command center, while his allies fought, some to the death, right outside. Carth was never one to abandon his responsibilities, and he was confident that John Mithic could lead the Yellow team without his instruction. He felt that the young man would be a worthy addition to the ranks of the Republic.

Carth had started out alongside Indy, shooting the Sith from afar. But the whole situation reminded him of the bombing of Telos, and Carth just couldn't shake the hollow sensation that haunted him when he thought of losing the woman he loved, again. In a fury of helplessness, the Admiral had jumped right into the thick of battle wielding dual vibroswords. His presence rallied the Republic troops. Carth was fighting at his best, and he knew he had to live… if only to see his son and Rani once more.

Suddenly, three small Sith ships started descending on his position. One Republic turret took aim at the center one, but the shield on the craft was too strong. The shots did no damage to the ship.

Sith and Republic soldiers alike scattered as blaster fire rained towards them from the ships. Several soldiers on both sides were killed by the shots, their bodies steaming as they lay below the rapidly descending ships.

Carth thought that this was the end. He would die here, in the downpour of shots, as the ships landed and surrounded him. Miraculously, none of the fire was aimed at him, and he was unscathed.

The largest ship, which had landed directly in front of him, had several figures disembark. Carth squinted towards the figures, trying to make out their faces through the smoke that surrounded him. Soon, the nearest figure approached him, and Carth could now make out who it was.

"Dustil! What is going on?" Carth called to his son. Mentally, Carth knew that Dustil was a leader of the Sith, but emotionally, Dustil was his son, and he couldn't help but let his guard down.

"I am taking you to my Master," Dustil replied, his eyes flashing a bit of gold.

"Son, why are you taking me to Destrik? Help us end this war!"

"I am Father, I am."

The figure that accompanied Dustil was tall and he wore a black mask that covered his features.

"Who is that?" Carth asked, surprisingly calm despite the circumstances.

"That is Tulak Hord, and he will be a ruler of this galaxy once this war is over," Dustil replied, securing his father's arms with Force bonds.

Carth allowed his son to cuff him. He had no other choice. For some reason, they were keeping him alive, and the Admiral wanted to know why.

"Dustil, you want this to be the future of the Galaxy?" Carth whispered to his son.

Dustil merely stared at his father, the yellow now gone from his eyes. His son looked years older to Carth, and he hoped that uncertainty filled Dustil. That was the only chance Carth had to get his son back.

Dustil forced his father into the small cargo compartment of the transport.

"Why do they stay?" Carth asked, his head motioning towards the now five figures that came on the ships.

"They stay to fight," Dustil answered right before closing the compartment and making Carth wait in the darkness.

It was not long before the ship landed back on the docking bay of Destrik's flagship.

Dustil lead his father to the bridge of the enormous ship. Both walked in silence, Carth tried to prepare himself for whatever encounter awaited him, while Dustil struggled with his inner conflicts and doubts.

The bridge was abuzz with activity, when Dustil and Carth entered. Sith sat at the computer consoles, monitoring the battle, while Destrik paced the upper walkway, glancing down to check the progress.

As soon as Destrik saw Carth, he paused, and a hush fell over the bridge.

"I truly must say, this is the first time that it is a pleasure to see you Admiral Onasi," Destrik spoke with a confidence that Carth found grated on his nerves.

"Where's Rani?" Carth asked gruffly. His concern for her outweighed his desire to exchange heated words with the Sith Lord.

"Not to worry, my unfaithful consort is safe, but you will be the one to pay for her betrayal," Destrik said, grinning widely.

"Betrayal?" Carth asked, hoping that Destrik had not found out about the love they shared. Carth had no doubt that regardless of what Destrik said, Rani would have to pay for her actions if Destrik were to find out.

"Admiral, you are stupid enough as it is, you do not have to play dumb. Not only has my beautiful future queen stolen from me, she has also defiled herself with Republic slum." Destrik replied. His manner was offhand, but Carth could sense the anger that stemmed from Rani's actions.

Carth wanted to ask more. _What had Rani stolen? And future Queen? What was all that about?_ But he didn't want to risk increasing Destrik's fury at Rani.

"Get back to work! And Oronka, take command!" Destrik snapped at the others on the bridge, and they all turned their eyes back to the screens in front of them.

Destrik strolled up to Carth, his hands behind his back. Carth noticed that the man had no visible traces of the dark side on his face. Was he that powerful that he could mask his true appearance?

Destrik leaned in towards Carth, whispering words into his ear.

"I will kill you in front of her. And with your death, so shall occur the death of her ties to others. She will be mine."

"Sounds like true love to me," Carth spat back.

Destrik ignored his comment.

"I will murder you, but first, I want you to feel how I did when I saw the way you tainted her."

Destrik reared back and punched Carth solidly in the stomach. The pain was blinding, and it sent Carth to his knees and gasping for breath.

"Dustil, bring Rani here to me, so we can finally be free of this nuisance," Destrik commanded.

---------------

Trentyn ran across the battlefield with two medics holding a stretcher between them struggling to keep up. His despair over Atton's ghastly injury gave way to fury, and he used it to fend off any Sith that attempted to attack them as he found his way back to Evy and Atton.

Once he found them, he dropped to his knees by their bodies. It was such a tragic scene, with Evy's slight form slumped over Atton's body, her cheeks glinting from the tears she had shed. Atton was in Evy's arms, his pale face partially covered by her golden tresses.

Trentyn fought back tears, as he gently lifted Evy off Atton's body. He called for several surrounding Republic soldiers to protect them as he eased her to the ground. She was still breathing, she just seemed too exhausted to pull herself from unconsciousness.

Once he was satisfied that Evy had no injuries, Tren turned to Atton, almost sure that he had died. Nobody could have survived a wound like that for long. The medics were already looking over Atton's body.

"We can find no sign of an injury, though he is suffering from major blood loss," one of the medics told Trentyn.

"No injury! Didn't you see that big ass piece of…" Trentyn's words broke off as he pulled back Atton's torn and bloodied shirt. There was no wound, merely a slight pinkening of the skin as if the skin was sloughed off. 

Trentyn quickly recovered from his surprise as he finally put two and two together.

"Put him on the stretcher, we'll take him back and give him a transfusion," Trentyn ordered as he lifted Evy into his arms. Her head settled comfortably against his chest. He stared down at her pretty face for a few moments as the medics secured Atton onto the stretcher. The woman had saved his best friend and the love of her life through her Force powers, this Trentyn was sure of. He used his chin to push some errant strands of hair off of her face.

"Thank you," he whispered to her, before they headed towards the Enclave.

The medical facilities were full of activity as injured soldiers and Jedi were being treated. Mical was working industriously, and it seemed that with his vital skills, many wounded would make a full recovery.

"Mical! Atton's lost a lot of blood..." Tren said, quickly explaining the situation to the doctor.

Mical took one look at Atton's pallid complexion and his blue-tinged lips, and immediately started a blood transfusion. The blonde doctor then moved on to Evy and found that she was suffering from slight exhaustion.

"Will... will they be okay?" Tren asked Mical.

"Evy will be fine after a bit of rest, and Atton... he will be healthy once his red blood cell count rises to normal levels. How did he lose all that blood?" Mical asked Tren with professional curiosity.

"You probably wouldn't believe me even if I told you..."

As soon as Trentyn was sure that Evy and Atton would be all right, he headed back out towards the battle. The war was still raging, and Tren still worried about his sister and their friends.

On the outskirts of battle Tren found Indy.

"Nice shot!" Tren told her as she wasted yet another Sith soldier.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about him, though," Indy said, without breaking her aim.

Tren was about to ask her what she was referring to, before he saw the powerfully built Sith Lord with browned skin. The Lord fought several Jedi at once, using frightful Force powers to kill them.

"What the hell is that?!" Trentyn asked, his jaw dropping at the sight of the frightful character.

"Naga Sadow," Indy replied seeming nonplussed as she continued to decrease the Sith ranks.

"Holy shit! What the hell are we going to do?" Tren asked, fear rising in him as he spotted yet another Sith Lord. This one still looked a bit like a specter, with white skin and empty eyes, however, he was no less frightful than Naga Sadow.

"That one's Marka Ragnos, and do something! Don't just stand there and stare!" Indy yelled at Tren.

Trentyn gathered his lightsaber back in his hands, gathering his courage to go back out there, before he caught a glimpse of a droid. The droid was blasting Sith after Sith with the blaster in one hand, and in the other he head two large rectangular objects.

"Hey, isn't that Rani's droid, HK-47?" Trentyn asked.

Indy turned her gaze to the droid in the battlefield and began protecting him with her shots. It was obvious that he was trying to make his way towards her. HK was soon there, and he heaved the heavy Books into Indy's hands, causing her to drop her blaster.

She wanted to curse at the droid until she realized what she held in her hands.

"The Books… where did you get these?" Indy asked bewildered.

"Explanation: My Master thought that you could do something with these, though I doubt a meatbag such as yourself would be able to do something useful."

Indy gaped at the books, lowering them to the ground. HK handed her the crystal as well, and the unnatural warmth that was usually eerie, comforted Indy this time. Indy rushed to open the Book of Death with the crystal and began leafing through the brittle pages looking for the passage that she needed.

"Declaration: My Master's brother. Master told me to obey your commands should I find you, and I have to say I am quite excited to be under your lead. Something tells me you would be a much more excitingly bloodthirsty master."

"Uh well, you can help me protect Indy while she does whatever it is she plans on doing."

"Query: Does protecting include killing?"

Tren nodded before speaking. "I have no idea how you and Rani get along."

"Statement: Even a droid is allowed some fun once in a while, meatbag."

"Meatbag?!"

"Inquiry: Would you prefer me to call you something else? Perhaps liquidous fleshbag?"

Trentyn laughed despite the circumstances.

"I found it!" Indy exclaimed, and for the since the beginning of the battle, she cleared her mind of all distractions, including Han.

She straightened her back and lifted her hands into the air, almost as a sign of supplication. In one of her hands, she held the accursed crystal, and it pulsed with heat, but Indy didn't drop it.

She began to utter the words, they were words of the ancient Sith. Despite the roar of battle, Indy's voice seemed loud and clear, and many could hear the strange incantation.

Almost immediately after Indy began her chant, the nearest Sith lord, Marka Ragnos started towards Indy, and Trentyn activated his lightsaber and braced for the attack.

--------------

Igrayne watched in horror as Marka Ragnos approached Tren and Indy. His tall, silvered, horned headdress glinted dangerously. HK-47 began rapid firing on the Sith Lord, but the shots were easily deflected by his enormous sword.

The sector that she had been fighting in had been mostly cleared of the Sith, and Igrayne knew that Bastila's battle meditation was helping. She ran frantically towards her friends, her breath rasping in her throat both from fatigue and fear.

Marka Ragnos lifted his great sword in the air, intending to cleave Indy right down the middle. Indy had her eyes shut tightly, the words to the ancient incantation still ringing loud and clear from her mouth, trying her hardest not to break her concentration. She knew that they were in grave danger, but this was their only chance at stopping the slaughter of the ancient Sith Lords.

Trentyn's deep blue lightsaber met Marka Ragnos' sword in a clash. The huge Sith Lord stared at Tren with completely black eyes.

"You dare raise your hand to me?" Marka Ragnos said in a deep, raspy voice.

As Igrayne neared, she could see the mix of fear and determination that danced in Trentyn's eyes. Marka Ragnos used the Force to extract Tren's lightsaber from his hand. It deactivated once it was out of his grasp, and the Sith Lord allowed it to drop to the ground. Trentyn could do nothing, but shielded Indy with his body anyway, holding his ground defiantly. Igrayne was sure that once she got involved, it would mean her death, but she jumped to attack the Sith Lord anyway. There was no way she would watch her friends die. She may not be Jedi any longer, but she would not hesitate to give her life for what she believed in.

The Sith Lord must have sensed her, because he turned around just in time to block her lightsaber swing. It took every ounce of Igrayne's power to keep a hold on the hilt as his sword crashed against her saber. The terrifying creature let out a strange battle cry as he pulled back his sword and slashed at Igrayne.

Igrayne ducked away from the swing, allowing the Force to help guide her movements, she needed it now more than ever. The Sith Lord seemed hesitant to use his higher Force powers, and Igrayne was thankful for that. She continued to leap and duck, maneuvering away from the Lord's swings. She needed all the focus she could muster, one mistake, and she would be dead.

Out of the corner of her eye, Igrayne saw Tren with his now equipped lightsaber, but before he could assist Igrayne, Naga Sadow interrupted him. The hulking figure engaged Trentyn in a furious battle with a Sith sword.

Both Igrayne and Trentyn kept the two Sith Lords busy and away from Indy. HK-47 helped by raining down fire on the two Sith. Igrayne silently wondered how long either of them could keep up like this. Both were visibly tiring, and it was obvious that both were heavily drawing on the Force to aid them.

To make matters worse, three more figures arrived on the scene.

Ajunta Pall wore a tight white outfit with a brown hooded cloak, his face covered by his cloak. A double-sided, shadowed sword was gripped in one of his hands. He was flanked by Freedon Nadd and Tulak Hord, both of whom carried lightsabers.

Strangely enough, the new arrivals didn't join in the fracas. Almost simultaneously, both Igrayne and Trentyn made fatal errors. Trentyn, now adorned with several singed cuts, broke out of his defensive stance and took a risky swing at Naga Sadow, hoping to finally hit his mark. The Sith Lord laughed as he used his sword to glance away the blow. Then, with Trentyn exposed and vulnerable, Sadow raised the dangerous sword above his head, beginning the swing downwards towards Tren's neck.

As this was happening, Igrayne dodged yet another one of Ragnos' swings, hesitating before tucking her head in and rolling away from him. The Sith Lord took advantage of her tiny delay, stabbing his sword downwards. He would have speared her if Bao-Dur hadn't rushed up behind her and blocked the blow in one elegant leap.

Immediately, Igrayne felt a blow of energy throw her back away from Marka Ragnos. Bao-Dur landed right beside her. She quickly picked her head up and glanced in Trentyn's direction and was relieved to find that he had been pushed back before Naga Sadow could kill him.

HK-47 had also been blown back, but he had found his feet again. He didn't shoot though, as relative silence fell over the group. The sounds of battle were still occurring, but that was fairly far-off, as even the Sith soldiers did not want to be close to the fearsome Sith Lords. Indy's words still danced over the group, but they were much quieter than before.

"What is the meaning of this?" Naga Sadow bellowed at Ajunta Pall.

"You mean to kill them? Then just do it. Stop toying with them!" Ajunta Pall answered.

"We will do as we please. Do you presume to be the Lord of the Sith?" Naga Sadow shot back.

Freedon Nadd entered the argument.

"You certainly are not, Sadow. After all, I bested you all those years ago. Then I became the Master." Freedon Nadd said in a superior tone.

"That was lifetimes ago, my foolish apprentice. Would you like to try again?" Sadow retorted.

"This is a waste of time. Neither could win, as we are all immortal. We are allies now, whether we wish it or not." Ajunta Pall interrupted.

"If we are all invincible, then it should not matter if I do this," Freedon Nadd said, while activating his lightsaber.

Igrayne sat with bated breath, watching the amazing fight scene in front of her as Bao-Dur gripped her hand hard.

"…Silaish srua tanaico!" Indy finished her incantation, and collapsed to the ground.

Immediately after Indy finished her incantation, Freedon Nadd managed to sink his lightsaber deep into the gut of Naga Sadow. In his anger, Naga Sadow grabbed the hilt of the lightsaber that was still protruding from his stomach.

"You think to destroy me?" Sadow said, but the question came out in a weak voice, and he soon vomited blood.

Freedon Nadd released the lightsaber and took several steps backwards after he realized that they were no longer invincible.

"What… how can that be true?" Nadd stammered, looking to Ajunta Pall for answers.

Pall began to answer, but looked down at his hands to see the flesh beginning to drop off the bone. As the steaming, bloody tissue touched the ground, it disintegrated into dust.

Igrayne, Bao, and Trentyn all jumped to their feet and engaged the dying Sith Lords, quickening their return to death.

When Naga Sadow took his final breath, he dissolved into the ground; the only trace of him was a pile of ash.

Freedon Nadd fought Tren, until his hands fell off. With no means to carry his lightsaber, Nadd attempted to use his Force powers, but Tren cleanly lopped off the Lord's head. The beheaded body fell to its knees, and then hit the ground before bursting into blue flame.

Igrayne made for the nearest Sith lord, Marka Ragnos, and quickly jabbed at his torso with her lightsaber. The headdress, chains, and robes of the specter-like creature fell to the ground as Ragnos' form disappeared into a smoky mist, before his belongings disintegrated.

Bao fought bravely against Tulak Hord. The Sith Lord was vastly superior at his lightsaber technique, even as his body collapsed in on itself. Trentyn joined Bao in the fight.

Igrayne moved on to Ajunta Pall, her lightsaber swinging gracefully around her body.

"Seems the Jedi have neglected to teach their novices fighting technique," Ajunta Pall insulted.

He then proceeded to swing around his double-ended blade in a stunning display of agility and speed. Igrayne watched as the skin around the Lord's arms began to peel, and with a sickening rip, both arms fell cleanly off at his shoulders.  
A blaster charge shot through the air and found its mark directly between Ajunta Pall's eyes. The Lord keeled over and crumbled. Igrayne could have sworn she saw an outline of a ghost floating away in the wind after Pall's death.

"Pleased statement: That's one dead meatbag, cooked to perfection."

Igrayne ignored the droid's wry statement and turned her attention to Bao-Dur's and Trentyn's fierce battle against the final remaining Sith Lord. Tulak Hord still fought despite the chunks of flesh that were now missing from his body. His suffocating black mask covered any view of the condition of his face, but Igrayne was sure that his end was near.

Hord, on the offensive, took several steps towards Bao-Dur after knocking Tren back with his powerful sweep. Bao backed up, trying to keep out of the range of Tulak Hord's lightsaber. Then, as Hord took another step towards the Zabrak, a horrid crack sang out as the last remnants of his leg gave out and broke in two. Bao took advantage of the situation, rushing forward and cleaving Hord into two halves. The leftovers of Hord's body melted into a dark liquid that quickly seeped into the soil of Dantooine.

Bao-Dur took Igrayne into his arms, feeling the pain of each of her cuts through the Force.

"I can't believe it's over… they are dead," Igrayne said in disbelief. She had been certain, as soon as she had laid eyes on the Sith Lords that this day would be her last. To know that she had survived colored her view of the Galaxy.

Bao silently held her trembling form, and stared at the ground where the Sith lords had perished before glancing up at the sky where the space battle still raged on.

"Whew… well, that was… intense. Anybody have a change of undergarments?" Tren joked. When neither Igrayne nor Bao responded, Trentyn lifted Indy into his arms and began to carry her unconscious form to the Enclave.

"Come on, HK," Tren said to the droid.

"Declaration: All dead meatbags should remain in their indisposed condition. Meatbags are not worthy of multiple deaths."

--------------

The young, fledgling Sith was well on his way to becoming a Sith lord. His rank was high within the Sith, yet still, either it was due to his youth or something good that still tugged at his heart, Dustil did not like the way things were going. He had thought that after the death of his mother, and after his father abandoned him, that he would no longer feel compassion. But at this moment, he dreaded the looming confrontation between Rani, Destrik, and Carth.

He stood outside the door to Rani's quarters for several moments, thinking about all that had led up to the coming moments. Rani had betrayed Destrik in more ways than one, but at the same time, Dustil could tell that she truly cared for his corrupted Master. As he hesitated at her threshold, he contemplated his own loyalty to Destrik, the man he had come to respect as a father-figure.

Dustil knocked respectfully, before unlocking her door and entering the room. He found Rani seated on the edge of her bed, her back straight and stiff while she stared across the room at some invisible point. She would have looked like a grand statue, if not for the slight rising and fall of her breast as she breathed.

"Rani," Dustil said to her quietly.

She turned her head slowly to gaze at him. Her face was expressionless, but Dustil could see all of her emotions mirrored in her wide eyes. The young man didn't know how he felt about Rani.

Dustil Onasi had left his love, Selene, back at the Sith Acadamy on Korriban when Destrik had given him the promotion. Since then, he had been too wrapped up in the problems of his Master and the Sith to even think about Selene. He felt guilty for forgetting his first love.

Yet, Rani was unlike any woman Dustil had ever met. She was strong and weak, blissful and sorrowful, hardy and vulnerable all at the same time. It didn't take much wondering for him to understand both Destrik's and Carth's draw to her.

Dustil swallowed heavily as he prepared to give Rani the bad news.

"The Admiral has been captured, and Master Destrik awaits your arrival on the bridge."

"Your father is here?" Rani asked, her voice soft and hollow.

Dustil merely nodded. He usually did not like it when others referenced Carth as his father. He liked to think that his father had died, along with his mother with the horrible destruction of Telos. He tried not to think of his mother too much, doing so made him feel guilty, but often in his dreams, he saw her kind face. He saw his father in his dreams as a battered spirit, one who became the focus of all of Dustil's anger and sorrows.

Rani rose from her seat and absentmindedly smoothed out the skirt of her gown. She walked wordlessly beside Dustil as he led her through the ship. As if she could no longer bear her emotional isolation, Rani reached out and placed a hand on Dustil's forearm. The gentle contact left Dustil feeling almost dizzy with warmth, and it became too much for him. He stopped dead in his tracks, and Rani dropped her hand.

"You don't have to go in there," Dustil told Rani without meeting her questioning eyes.

"What… what do you mean?" she asked with a quivering voice.

"I can help you escape, back to Dantooine. The battle is not going well, and you could easily find your allies." Dustil said, still not looking at her.

"And your father? Can you help him escape?" Rani asked. The hopeful tone in her voice caused Dustil to ache for her.

"No, I can't," Dustil said plainly.

Rani was silent for a few moments, and Dustil could feel her searching eyes on him.

"Then I stay too," she said, this time in a strong voice.

Dustil knew that her mind was made up, she would meet her fate, whatever it was. Rani followed Dustil the rest of the way to the bridge in total silence. Before she walked into the command bridge, Rani stopped and closed her eyes for a brief moment as if she were praying. Her hand strayed to her gown where she gripped her skirt and lifted it slightly off of the ground so that she could stride into the room. 

"Darling, are you ready to become my Queen?" Destrik asked as he saw her.

Rani's eyes darted to Carth. He still kneeled, his hands bound behind his back in Force bonds, and he slumped forward a bit as if in pain. His head was tipped down, but he looked at her through his errant locks of hair. His breath was ragged and uneven, and sweat decorated his brow.

Rani quickly set her eyes back on Destrik. Seeing Carth in this pained state tore at her heart, and she needed her wits about her.

"I never wanted to be a queen, Destrik," she replied.

Destrik met her with a few quick strides, and he was in front of her in a flash. Rani did not flinch or budge, as the Sith Lord circled her and stared at her appraisingly.

"Do you not realize that I am now the most powerful man alive in the Galaxy? The Sith Masters I resurrected did just as I hoped they would. They fought for me, and then they died." Destrik spoke to her with little emotion in his voice, but it was apparent that much bubbled dangerously below the calm surface.

"The Sith Lords have perished? Then, you shall too." Rani answered, raising her chin in defiance.

Destrik laughed hollowly.

"My life burns too brightly and my power is too great for Rheya's ancient magic to have much effect on me. Do not deny me any longer, Rani. I shall be your Lord, in _all_ aspects. You can either give me what I desire, or I will fight for it. Either way, I will succeed. Your choice, Rani." Destrik stopped in front of Rani, and everyone in the room fell quiet again, awaiting her next words. Silence descended on the room like a dark cloud, and Dustil's heart beat rapidly in his chest as he watched his Master and Rani.

What happened next, surprised everyone. Rani dropped down to one knee in front of Destrik and bowed her head.

"I have tried to deny it for so long, but you will be the lord of the galaxy. I choose to give myself to you," Rani's voice wavered, but her words were clear.

Dustil immediately felt empathy for Rani… Destrik had finally broken her.

Destrik gripped Rani's shoulders and pulled her back up to a standing position. Her head was still bowed, so Destrik tilted her chin up so he could see her face. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

Rani enveloped her mind with thoughts of the good times she shared with Destrik. Her tears were real as she wept for the man he used to be. Destrik's eyes bore into hers, and Rani could tell that he was using the Force to read her mind. She dove even deeper into her memories, only evoking those which were positive. Finally, Destrik seemed pleased with her thoughts as he broke of the search of her mind and leaned down to kiss her. As soon as his lips met hers, Rani reached into the pocket that was hidden within the creases of her gown. She found the poisonous syringe there, and began to work off the cap.

Something happened that Rani hadn't intended though, as she struggled with her chore, Destrik's lips conveyed a desire and gentleness that she hadn't expected. His mind joined hers in reliving the best moments that they had shared together, and Rani's resolve faltered. How could she kill Destrik, the man that she had loved so much? Rani's hesitation persisted, and soon Destrik broke the kiss. His face was still near hers as he spoke.

"There will be more time for catching up later, Darling," he whispered softly, before stepping away from her.

Destrik stood in front of Carth, his eyes glinting with a dark bliss.

"Stand up and face your death, Admiral," Destrik ordered, his voice laden with content.

Carth struggled to stand, and he finally stood, wavering slightly in place. Dustil watched his father, and could tell that the Admiral's weakness was more due to emotional suffering than physical pain. 

Destrik grinned at Carth as he reached out his hand, ready to call on the Force.

"I won," he said, before blasting a stream of Force lightning at Carth.

Carth immediately fell back onto the ground, his body writhing in complete agony as his muscles convulsed out of his control.

As soon as Carth's torture began, Rani wanted to drop to the floor in anguish. Images from the past went flying through her mind as she stared at the love of her life being murdered. Initially, all the visions were of Carth and the most beautiful moments of her life that he had gifted her, but soon her visions were of Carina, her best friend. Rani saw the determination that had gripped Carina's eyes right before the woman had Force-pushed her out of the way of the destruction she had wrought on the Academy.

_Carina…_

She had faced her destiny with a courage and tenacity that Rani knew she now had to follow.

Dustil, unable to watch the destruction of his father, trained his eyes on Rani. He watched as she held a small object in her hand. By the time Dustil realized what it was, his eyes met hers through the energy of the Force lightning crackling between them. Dustil knew what she would do next.

Destrik was already convinced that Rani was completely his, and he was too busy with his grisly work to pay either of them any attention. The feelings that passed between Dustil and Rani were too complex for words, and in the end, he allowed her to continue.

In one sleek movement, Rani lifted the needle, aimed it at Destrik's chest, and plunged it directly into his heart. Destrik's Force lightning stopped and Rani emptied the syringe of poison into the Sith Lord's heart. One of her hands held the lethal needle and the other encircled Destrik's waist. He stumbled to his knees and Rani followed him. She yanked out the syringe, tossing it to the side as she held Destrik to her.

"I had no other choice, Destrik… I loved you," she told him. Her words were soft but everyone could hear them.

Destrik reached up his hand and buried it in Rani's curls. His eyes were glassy and unfocused.

"Rani, all I wanted was you. Everything… it was all to get you back," he said, his words raspy in his throat.

"The dark side corrupts, Destrik. You were a good man…" Rani's tears flowed freely. "It didn't have to be this way."

"I can't change who I am… my power could sustain me… but what use is ruling the Galaxy, if I can never have what I truly want?"

"I'm sorry," Rani whispered.

Destrik soon slumped in her arms. Dustil saw his Master's empty eyes and felt the emptiness in the Force, and knew that Destrik was dead. Dustil didn't wait for the others to recover. He quickly removed his father's Force bonds and helped him to his feet. Surprisingly, Carth was not too injured despite the beating he'd taken. Dustil watched Rani lay Destrik's body gently on the floor.

Just as Dustil was helping Rani off of the floor, the bridge erupted in chaos.

Some sort of explosion rocked the enormous ship.

"What the hell was that?" Oronka demanded.

"We were hit by some sort of missile, it did damage, but not enough to take us down," one of the men answered.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them!" Oronka commanded, pointing at Carth and Rani.

Several soldiers started towards them, and Dustil had to fight and slay the Sith to protect his father and Rani.

"Run!" he shouted over his shoulder at them.

Carth took Rani's hand and they took off down the corridors of the ship. Dustil fought off a few more soldiers before he caught a break. He used it to take off after Carth and Rani. There would be no friendly place on the ship anymore after his actions.

Dustil found them by the escape pods.

"Come on, son! This ship will go down!" Carth shouted to Dustil urging him into their escape pod.

"No," Dustil said backing away from Carth.

"What?" Carth asked with a confused expression.

"I can't go with you," Dustil clarified. Destrik, his Master and father-figure was now dead, and he had allowed it to happen.

"Why not?" Carth asked. The ship trembled around them.

"I'm not ready, Father," Dustil replied.

Rani placed a hand on Carth's shoulder.

"Dustil, please be safe," she said, as he readied a separate pod for himself.

He nodded tersely.

"And… thank you…" she added, her eyes conveying everything she couldn't say.

Dustil nodded again, stiffly, meeting her eyes. He swallowed heavily before deciding the best way to quickly convey his feelings.

"My mother would have loved you," he said.

Both Rani and Carth stilled at Dustil's statement.

"I'll see you again," he called out to his father. "Now, go!"

Rani and Carth quickly departed on their escape pod, and Dustil followed soon after.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Yellow Five, what happened?" Mithic called out on the communicator.

"Uh, well, sir, apparently the missile didn't work," Yellow Five answered.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Yellow nine said.

"Okay, that's all right. Deploy the next one into the reactor. Do you copy?" John Mithic asked. He knew much about ships, and knew that this one would go down if the missile hit the correct location.

"Understood, sir!" Yellow Five answered.

Yellow Five swung his vessel back around in order to aim again at the flagship. The rest of the Yellow team was doing a smashing job of keeping the Sith fighters off his tail. Mithic's organization and leadership of the team was leading them to victory.

"Yellow Five here, ready to deploy!"

"Fire at will!" Mithic instructed. John saw Yellow Five's approach and watched as the ship got closer and closer to the flagship.

_Come on, fire now!_ Mithic thought, wondering why Yellow Five was postponing the shot.

"Is there a problem, Yellow Five?" Mithic asked, finally.

"Yes, there's a Force-damned problem! The fracking thing won't deploy… some sort of error on the release of the missile!" Yellow Five answered, panic rising in his voice.

"Did you try the backup release?" Mithic asked with hope.

"Yes, Yellow leader…damn thing's jammed," Yellow Five replied.

Mithic thought for a few minutes.

"Alright, Yellow team, I'm calling off this mission," Mithic instructed.

"But, we were so close to destroying almost the entire fleet!" Yellow Nine complained.

"I know, but we have no choice," Mithic replied, trying to fight down his frustration.

"Negative, Yellow Leader, I can take it down," Yellow Five said with determination.

"What? How?" Yellow Nine demanded.

"It's been a pleasure flying the skies with you all, and Yellow Leader, you're the bomb! Just get the hell out of here," Yellow Five said.

Mithic immediately knew what he was planning.

"You don't have to do this," Mithic said.

"I know, I want to, about time I got to be the hero," Yellow Five replied with a chuckle.

"Yellow Five, don't do anything stupid!" Yellow Nine shrieked.

"Take care of yourself, Nine," Yellow Five replied before turning off his communicator.

His knuckles whitened as he gripped the controls. He would have only one chance to do this, and he would have to do it right. He watched as his team followed his instructions and left the dangerous area.

Yellow Five begun his trajectory towards the reactor and punched the accelerator. He was coming up on the ship fast, and his angle was perfect.

"Sith, up yours!" he cheered, before his craft slammed into the ship.

The flagship exploded in a rain of fire and smoke once the missile was activated, and the detonation traveled to the nearby fleet. The ships began falling from the sky in bits and pieces. The remnants of the Sith fleet would burn up and disappear in the atmosphere of Dantooine.

----------------

The Jedi Council watched in amazement as Sith ships began to plummet into the planet. One by one the large capital ships lost their positions in space and came crashing through the atmosphere only to hit the Dantooine plains shortly after, erupting in a plume of fire and smoke. The smaller Sith interceptors were also falling from the sky likes flies, trying to make attempted landings, but with their main consoles malfunctioning they had no chance to do so.

It was a magnificent sight watching the Sith's forces come crashing down, signaling the victory that the Republic had just achieved. The Jedi Council was astounded that the missile had worked, especially after they'd lost communications with Yellow Five. They assumed it'd meant he'd been taken down, but apparently not for the pilot had seen that the main orbital ship had been destroyed thus rendering the others with no central command point, and all the other ships systems—which had been connected to the main one—malfunctioned without the central controller.

They'd won.

It was a very heartening thought. The Republic, with the help of the Jedi, had finally overcome the Sith and had halted their advances and attempts to seize the Republic. It would be a day that would long be remembered, and no one could have been more proud than those who had fought to achieve this monumental victory. The soldiers spread out across the battlefield cheered and hollered loudly, proud to have been a part of this battle. They were also greatly relieved to see the end of it, and still be alive.

The Jedi Knights, who had been led by Evy and newly appointed General Igrayne, were also excited though they showed it differently. Most of the Jedi on the battlefield were attending to their fallen brethren, saying quiet prayers to those who had departed and become one with the Force. It was a sad and humbling sight seeing all the Jedi carrying fallen Jedi, but those Jedi had died for a worthy cause and the living Jedi knew that they'd have some matter of satisfaction from that.

"Over, it is," Vandar commented, looking out among the wreckage of Sith ships. "Won, we have."

"But at what cost?" Zhar queried softly.

Vandar nodded in silent acquiescence. 

They had won...but what had they lost in the process? Many Jedi had given their lives to see that Dantooine--the Republic--survived. The ancient Jedi Master could feel the hole in the Force due to the lack of Jedi who had recently been ripped from life and cast into the shadow of death. He could only hope that the Force would replenish itself, and the gaping wound within it would heal.

The Jedi Council began to mull over a different train of thought now, concerned with other matters instead of enjoying the moment of victory. The Sith had been defeated, if only temporarily. There was a greater, darker presence out in the Galaxy...though the Jedi Council did not know what was causing that small, dark ripple in the Force. All they knew was that the battle for the Galaxy was still happening, and that the Sith would return to finish the Republic off. Perhaps not now, not in one thousand years, but it would happen eventually, and the Council was prepared to halt that pursuit at all costs.

"This is Yellow Leader, do you read me?" Mithic's voice suddenly came over the communications system, alarming the Jedi at first.

"Loud and clear, Yellow Leader," Vrook answered. "Congratulations on a job well done."

"Thank you, Master. However, there is something you should know."

"What is it?" Master Vrook asked, hoping that it wouldn't be more bad news.

"The missile release failed--"

Vrook froze. "That isn't possible. The main orbital ship was taken down..."

"Yellow Five refused to let the Sith escape," Mithic said solemnly. "He--he's dead, Master. He sacrificed himself to destroy the Sith fleet."

"That is..._unfortunate_, Yellow Leader," Vrook said, relieved that there hadn't been any worse news than that. "Bring Yellow Squadron back to base."

"Yes, Master."

There was silence for a moment, with the exception of soldiers outside cheering loudly.

"Sent him to his death, we may have," Vandar murmured. "Young, he was. Too young."

"This is war, Vandar. He knew the risks," Vrook quickly replied, concerned with a different matter. "We do not have the time to deal with that right now...we have other matters to discuss, and I have a feeling Dantooine will no longer be a safe haven for the Jedi."

"To Coruscant, we must go," Vandar said with authority in his tone. "A Jedi temple there, there is. A safe haven, it shall be. Contact the Jedi there, I shall."

Dorak and Zhar nodded in agreement. They had not been to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant since they were a lot younger, so it would be like visiting an old home. Vrook had a bitter expression on his face, not eager to abandon all the work they'd done on Dantooine. He knew, however, that Dantooine would be a prime target for the Sith once they established their power and strength again.

"I will deal with seeing all the Jedi supplies and the like transported safely to Coruscant as soon as possible," Dorak said, prepared to start packing up his beloved library archives.

The rest of the Council nodded, and then Zhar and Dorak took their leave, leaving Vrook and Vandar alone.

"Fearful, I am. Bold, these Sith have become. Ruthless. More Jedi, we will need," Vandar said in a sad voice.

"We are protectors of the Republic, Master Vandar, not soldiers," Vrook said quietly. "If it comes to another war...we will not have enough Jedi to defend the Republic."

"Know this, I do. Why certain Jedi are important, it is. Need them, we will," Vandar commented, and Vrook instantly knew who he was speaking of.

"I will talk to her later," Vrook said lamely.

Vandar nodded. "Need to contact the Jedi Temple, I do. Inform them, I shall, on our victory."

"Of course," Vrook replied, turning to leave. "Remember, Vandar, if our hope does lie with certain Jedi...than we have indeed become a desperate Order. Desperate, indeed."

Meanwhile, Igrayne was busy with Trentyn making sure that Indy was all right. She seemed as if the life had been sucked right from her, yet she was still living. Her breathing was shallow and came in small gasps. She seemed somewhat conscious, but the empty look in her eyes suggested otherwise. Igrayne watched the monitor that was monitoring Indy's vital signs.

"Indy, can you hear me?" Igrayne asked softly, concern in her voice.

Indy moaned in response.

"What was that? You'll have to speak up, Indy," Igrayne said quietly.

"Damn Sith bastards," she managed to groan out.

Trentyn smiled at this. "Good to see you're still the same old Rheya. I thought that book might have really got you that time."

"Try getting some more sleep, Indy. Whatever you did seemed to have sucked the life out of you," Igrayne informed.

"Yeah, I feel like shit," She replied nonchalantly.

Igrayne laughed, and hugged her friend very gently. "You should be more careful next time."

Indy mumbled something indefinite.

"Hey, Trentyn, I'm going to go check on Evy and Atton. Mind staying and making sure that Indy gets some sleep?" Tren opened his mouth to say something but Igrayne quickly added, "And I mean sleep, Tren. No innuendos right now, if you please."

He burst into laughter as she rolled her eyes and walked away.

----------------

Evy brushed a few strands of hair out of Atton's face. He seemed at peace while he slept, and it comforted her. Every rise and fall of his chest, eased her heart. It meant he was alive. She had saved him. She had failed to save Jeran, but Atton had been her second chance in every sense of the words. The blood transfusion had worked, and Atton was well on his way to becoming perfectly healthy again. When Mical had informed her that the transfusion had been a success, she couldn't have felt more ecstatic.

She loved him.

She loved him with all her heart, and that was enough. He completed her, and without him Evy seriously doubted that she'd have a life worth living. When she had thought that she was going to lose him on the battlefield, she had never felt more desperate. Now that he was safe, she was able to reflect on what she truly and deeply felt for the scoundrel. And that feeling was love.

She had once chosen the Jedi over herself, over Atton, and she was not going to make that mistake twice.

"Hey, babe," Atton murmured, awakening from his long sleep. "I must've went to heaven then?"

Evy laughed. "You're alive Atton."

"Now, that's not nice, Angel of mine. Not nice at all to mess with a dead man," Atton replied, still not quite convinced that he was alive...especially after that hellish pain he'd had to endure.

Evy lowered her head to his, their lips meeting in a sensual kiss that transferred all of Evy's feelings to him. "I love you, Atton."

He finally smiled, a devilish smile. "Sorry, I didn't catch that, mind repeating it?"

"I love you, you scoundrel." Evy said, placing another soft kiss on his lips.

"Oh, good, that's what I thought you said. Took you long enough to admit it, sweetheart," Atton said, though his voice was somewhat weak sounding still. "Now, mind helping me up?"

"Oh, no, Atton. You're not going anywhere," Evy said vehemently.

"But Tren's gonna win our contest! I need to get back out there and—" He stopped at the amusing look he was receiving from Evy. "Battle's over, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Damn it."

"Don't worry, I think you ended up with more than he did anyway," Evy assured Atton.

Atton scowled as Trentyn approached. "Good to see you awake, buddy."

"Final score?"

"Eighty-seven."

"Bloody everlasting hell."

Trentyn grinned victoriously. "You missed me taking out Sith Lords all by myself."

"Yeah right," Igrayne said, also approaching. "By yourself? I don't think so. It was mainly Indy's doing anyway. Which reminds me, didn't I tell you to stay with her?"

"She fell asleep," Tren said simply.

Evy was ignoring everyone, sitting beside Atton and stroking back his hair tenderly, just enjoying the fact that he was alive and that he loved her as much as she did him. He had never said it, but she knew that he did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made love to her as he did. She smiled, reminiscing on the times that they'd spent together, and eager for some more of those times.

"...so the Council wants to throw us a celebration, eh? How very un-Jedi of them," Trentyn continued, though Evy had tuned out so she didn't hear anything that he'd said before then.

"That is what they told me. I'm only transmitting the message," Igrayne replied.

"I don't know about you, but a party sounds awfully nice to me," Atton piped in.

"But there isn't going to be any drinks, or gambling for that matter," Trentyn pointed out.

Atton groaned. "This day just keeps getting better!"

"They said they also wanted to reward us with the some award," Igrayne added. "They consider us heroes apparently."

"Hah...me, a hero? Who would've guessed?" Trentyn said, smiling.

"Certainly not me." Atton grinned devilishly.

"Shut up, loser."

"Cheater."

"Just because I didn't get myself blow away by a piece of shrapnel--" Evy threw a nearby pillow at him. "Hey!"

"Shut up, Tren." She ordered, laughing.

"As you wish, your highness."

----------------------

As their small shuttle landed on the surface of Dantooine, Rani instantly fell asleep. Rani was greatly relieved at having done her job, and as the adrenaline from the entire battle left her, she didn't have the strength to keep her eyes open and fight the sleep, so she let it claim her. Carth, however, was consumed with the loss of his son. He had tried to tell Dustil to get off the ship, but he hadn't. The probabilities of his son surviving were slim at best.

He had lost his son, but had gained Rani in the process. He counted her as a blessing, and lifted her into his arms as the loading ramp descended. She slept peacefully as he walked past everyone setting up for the celebration. They cheered and congratulated them, the whole while he made his way back to his room with Rani sleeping in his arms.

While she slept, Carth noted, that she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her look. She had been so brave on Destrik's ship, so cunning, and he couldn't be more thankful to her. She had saved not only their lives, but the lives of millions of beings across the Galaxy. She reminded him so much of Morgana, that sometimes she was surprised that she wasn't his wife just inhabiting a different body.

Carth gently laid her down on his bed, and placed a blanket over her while kissing her forehead gently. She stirred in her slumber but did not awake, too worn out to do so. Carth then quietly slipped out of the room, knowing full well that he had a job to still do which included overseeing the burial of all the soldiers that had given their lives for the Republic. He also had to deal with sending his condolences to all the soldiers' families. He had more to do than just that, he figured, but that was where he'd start.

"Admiral Onasi, good of you to join the party," Mithic said, being the first to see him. He was still in his flight gear since he hadn't had the time to change out of it.

"Yes, well, you know I wouldn't miss it for the Galaxy," Carth replied light-heartedly.

The pun was lost on Mithic, however, as he remembered Yellow Five who'd given his life for the rest of them.

"Something wrong, soldier?"

"Not at all, Sir," Mithic lied, patting Carth on the back. "I'll see you later at the award ceremony."

"Award ceremony?"

"They're awarding us with the Cross of Glory," Mithic informed. "Don't miss it!"

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll be there, don't worry," Carth assured him as he hurried off to go get changed for the ceremony.

He was looking forward to a bit of rest and relaxation after this whole ordeal was over. The sooner the award ceremony came and went, the sooner he would be able to spend some quality time with Rani, the woman whom he loved.

---------------

"Don't you have something better to do?" Atton asked Mical as the doctor withdrew a bit of blood from Atton's forearm.

"I just need to make sure your hemocrit level is high enough," Mical answered, now inspecting the blood under a microscope.

"Basic, please?" Atton asked, rolling his eyes.

"Never mind. Well, you'll make it through the ceremony without passing out," Mical answered.

"And am I going to be well enough for _other_ activities planned for tonight?" Atton asked with a devilish grin. 

Mical stared at the scoundrel for a few moments with a blank expression. He truly believed that what existed between Atton and Evy was true love. Only through such a strong connection could Evy's miraculous healing of Atton have occurred. Still, the relief of defeating the Sith did little to warm Mical's heart. Carina, the one and only love of his life, was dead, and with that, his dreams and happiness died too.

"You are completely healthy now, Atton. Enjoy yourself." The doctor responded clippedly.

Atton stood and stretched out his limbs.

"So, you gonna come to this ceremony thing too?" Atton asked, trying to make conversation.

"No."

"No?"

"No, Atton, I am not feeling much in the celebration mood."

Before Atton could talk to Mical any further, Evy walked into the medical facility, and Atton's jaw dropped. She wore a fitted light green gown that brought out the color of her eyes, and her blonde locks were pulled up into a loose bun, with several ringlets escaping and framing her round face.

She stood at the door shyly, glancing up at Atton's astonished expression. Once he recovered, Atton rushed up to her, fully meaning to capture her in a kiss, but his courage faltered when he got to her. She was even more breath-taking close up.

"Are you ready to accompany me to the ceremony?" she asked in a soft voice.

"You…you aren't ashamed of me?" he asked, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

"I think we're beyond that," she answered, her lips lingering mere breadths beneath his.

She favored him with a sensual but short kiss before threading her arm through his and heading towards the site of the ceremony.

-----------------------

Trentyn knocked lightly at Bastila's door. The door swished open exposing Bastila. She took one look at Tren before ripping him through the door and hastily shutting it behind him.

"What are you thinking parading around like that?" Bastila fumed, while she pointed at the Sith robes that Tren wore.

"What? They're the best thing I have to wear," he said with a grin.

"You're going to get yourself killed! Some young, foolish soldier will mistake you as a remnant of the battle!" Bastila cried, tearing the robes off of him.

"Hey! Babe, not that I don't want to do this, but I don't think I can finish in two minutes and I'm afraid that's all the time we have," Trentyn replied, purposely flexing his muscles.

Bastila froze and stared at Tren's body for a few moments before responding.

"Oh, shut up, Trentyn! I'll find you something else to wear."

She rummaged through her belongings as Tren whistled softly, staring at himself in the mirror as he smiled and pumped his biceps. Bastila found some generic Jedi robes and threw them at Trentyn.

"You're impossible!" she exclaimed as she saw what he was doing.

He shrugged and tugged on the robes.

"Hey, did ya hear? I killed the invincible Freedon Nadd," Tren said.

"You didn't do it by yourself! Without Rheya's incantation, you all would have been killed!"

"Minor detail," Tren said with a dismissive wave.

Bastila rolled her eyes, and Trentyn stared at her for a few moments, his expression turning serious. He approached her, and then smoothly took her hand in his, his eyes locked on hers.

"I felt something out there… something that I haven't felt since I lost my parents. When Atton was hurt…" Tren's voice cracked with emotion. "I realized that I do care about more than just myself and my sister. I found a brother in Atton, and I found something that I can't explain in you."

Bastila found herself holding her breath, treasuring the moment of Tren's sincerity.

"Can you try?" she asked, her voice so soft, as if she were afraid to break the moment.

Trentyn's face broke out into a genuine smile before he bent down and kissed her. 

"How's that?" he asked after the passionate embrace.

"Perfect."

Bastila took Trentyn's hand as they headed out to receive their awards.

---------------------

Igrayne ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to straighten out the wayward locks. That was not the only remnant of her last encounter with Bao-Dur; her loins also ached pleasantly. As soon as they had a moment alone, they had embraced one another. The fragility of life and the closeness that each had been to death had increased their passion for one another. Bao had seemed particularly touched by the experience of the battle, and he had taken her with such powerful emotion, that Igrayne had used most of her remaining energy clinging to his muscular form while they met.

Now, they were expected at the ceremony, and Master Dorak had given her brand new, luxuriant Jedi robes with no explanation. She mildly wondered why the Council was being so permissive with her, considering the manner in which she left the Jedi.

Finally satisfied with her appearance, she turned to find Bao, who was also ready. His brown Jedi robes fell in regal folds over his built shoulders. His lightsaber hilt flashed momentarily in the light at his waist as he shifted, his eyes on her. 

"Is it time?" he asked, not commenting on her appearance. He really didn't have to because she could sense his contentment with her, but it still would have been nice to hear it.

"Yes, I think so," she answered.

His disappointment showed very little on his face, but Igrayne could see it.

"Why? Is there something else you'd rather do?" she asked, slightly teasing.

He gifted her with a smile, which seemed quite rare these days.

"When I felt your fear…I felt it through the Force. I could feel you letting go. You thought you were going to die," Bao stated, his jaw clenching with the effort.

Igrayne blinked. "Hey, those Sith Lords were scary!" she exclaimed in a light tone.

Igrayne knew that the experience had been hard on both of them, and she had really never considered at the time that Bao would have been so effected by her dismal thoughts during the battle.

"I wish it that you never feel like that again," Bao said simply.

"I will not. Not with you around," she answered, laying her forehead against his chest.

They stayed like that for a few moments before the Zabrak shifted.

"Come, let's get the admiral and Rani," he said.

----------------------

Carth tugged at the high collar of his officer's uniform. Many medals already decorated his lapel, but this one would mean perhaps more than all the other ones put together. He had gone through so much, and lost those that he loved, but in the end, the Republic had prevailed.

Rani exited the fresher, almost ready for the ceremony. She tossed her long hair over one shoulder as she struggled to put on a necklace. Carth smiled as she tried in vain to get the latch fastened on her own.

"Need help, gorgeous?" he asked while approaching her.

She smiled at him without turning around by looking at his reflection in the mirror she stood in front of. He fastened it for her without taking his eyes of hers in the mirror. Carth leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder softly. At the touch, Rani turned around to face him, her face inches from his.

"We won, why are your eyes so sad?" she whispered, while wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Dustil…" he said, not needing to say anymore. Rani would understand.

"He's alive… I can't explain it, but I can just feel it… you'll see him again, Carth."

Rani's eyes widened as she spoke, and Carth couldn't help but believe her.

Carth bent down to kiss her, and their lips met with a hungry passion. They were together, finally, without the shadow of Destrik hanging over their heads.

Carth finally pulled away.

"You ready, beautiful?"

"Not anymore I'm not!" Rani answered with mock indignation.

Carth chuckled as Rani demanded more of his affection. He was more than happy to give it. His medals clinked as he pushed her gently down on the bed. She giggled slightly as his hands traveled up her legs, pushing her fine silk gown out of the way. He covered her mouth with his lips to silence her. She returned his kiss with equal fervor. The tension of the last couple months was becoming too much for either to bear.

A solid knock sounded at the door.

"Why?!" Rani fumed as Carth picked himself off the bed.

"We'll just have to leave the rest for later," he answered, helping her to stand.

"Fine," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Carth laughed. "Come on, gorgeous. The people deserve to see their heroes."

"Me? A hero?" she said, pointing to herself.

Carth nodded and kissed her once more before letting Bao-Dur and Igrayne in.

"Come on, Rani, you look great, let's go," Igrayne said while pulling Rani away from the mirror.

"I don't look all mussed up?" Rani questioned.

"No, why? Wait, don't answer that." Igrayne said with a knowing smile.

The four friends made their way to the ceremony.

---------------------

The residents could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the end of the war with the Sith. There was not a cloud in the sky, which was strange because moments ago the sky had been filled with dark and menacing clouds, and the soft chirping of birds could be heard when the voluminous roar of the crowd settled down.

The bright Dantooine sun cast rays of light onto the new heroes of the Republic as they stood on the steps leading into the Jedi Enclave...where they would receive their medals for a job well done. The fields of Dantooine were completely swarmed with people of all different species whom had come out to witness the heroes receive their awards. The ceremony was also being broadcasted all over the holonet as well.

Evy stood proudly beside Atton, her arm linked with his. She was past trying to hide and bury her feelings for the scoundrel. Her love for him was what was keeping her alive, she had realized, and she wouldn't trade him for all the credits in the Galaxy. Her face displayed a slight smile, whereas Atton was full out grinning hoping to be well-compensated for his part in the defending of Dantooine.

For a while, she had thought that she'd never get past Jeran's death. Now she saw that he was there to open her up to love...to prepare her for Atton. Saving Atton had been the turning point for her, and through him...she felt at peace. She felt at peace with everything. She believed Jeran would be happy to know that she'd moved on and was now happy and in love again. She smiled softly as she glanced, yet again, at Atton.

Wisps of wind blew through the plains of Dantooine, and blew Rani's hair around a bit. She was worried that it'd get even more mussed up than she already believed it was. She stood beside Carth who was beaming with happiness, looking perfect in his Admiral's attire. The light would occasionally catch one of his many medals on his uniform and make him look even more important. But Rani already knew how important he was...not just to the Galaxy, but to her. She loved him more than life...and she wasn't sure how it had happened, but they'd fallen in together. He really did love her, and she was looking forward to him proving just how much he did love her.

She smiled, but her heart was not fully in it. She remembered that she was to accept Carina's award...but she had no clue what she would say. Her friend was gone, had lost everything...and yet, she still managed to find redemption in the end. Rani was immensely proud of her friend, and also very grateful. If it wasn't for Carina's heroics at the Trayus Academy, she wouldn't be standing here beside the man she loved. In fact, she imagined, no one would be here...for the Sith forces would have been overwhelming and they would have lost the battle and the galaxy's freedom.

Igrayne felt Bao-Dur's arm slide around her waist and she smiled, tempted to rest her head on his solid frame. Just moments ago, they had shared an intimate moment. Those moments seemed to be growing fewer and less often as time progressed, and it was all the Sith's fault. However, those days were gone and she was looking forward to spending more time with Bao-Dur.

However, Igrayne felt the loss of her friend as well. She hadn't had the time to dwell upon the fact earlier, but when she had found out...she felt terrible. Of course she'd felt betrayed when Carina had turned to the Dark Side, and had even wished her ill for a while. But the fact of the matter was that she had still been her friend, and Rani had been right about there still being good in her. Carina had been a good friend of hers, and she would miss her.

Indy was at a loss for what to do. Han was gone, her work had no importance now that the Sith had been defeated, and she didn't want to even look or touch those Force-forsaken books of Life and Death ever again. She knew this was her fault, for pushing Han away, but she couldn't comprehend it. Han had really left. She hadn't thought that he would be bold enough to do so, so she hadn't really worried about it...but now that he was gone, she felt his absence and it hurt. She wished she could go back and fix things, but feared that it was too late to change anything.

Trentyn was ogling Bastila in her tight-fitting Jedi robe. Bastila was doing her best to ignore him, although it was growing even more difficult as time passed. She could only wonder how long it would be until she succumbed to his not-so-subtle seduction. The only thing still holding her back was the Jedi, the galaxy even. She was a Jedi and that meant that she had to protect the Galaxy regardless of her feelings. A Jedi had to be constantly wary of her feelings and emotions lest they conquer said Jedi's mind and heart.

Mithic stood on the opposite side of Carth. He thought the whole situation was quite entertaining, mainly because he was there. He hadn't ever intended on being a hero, getting thrown into all these battles. Yet, here he was. His smile showed how ecstatic he was about the victory against the Sith. His Yellow Squadron members stood beside him, with the exception of Yellow Seven and Yellow Five who had bravely died in an effort to defeat the Sith which had paid off in the end. He would accept the awards on their behalf.

Vandar, Vrook, Zhar, Dorak, and several other Jedi masters who had come from Coruscant entered the crowd's sight, and the crowd cheered. Vandar smiled, and waved his hand in an effort to get them to quiet down. The continued to cheer loudly, excited to see Jedi Masters and their heroes of the Republic.

"Extend a warm welcome to all of you, I do!" Vandar said, and the crowd continued cheering, though slightly less loud.

"Today, these heroes you see beside us will be receiving well-earned awards for their heroics," Vrook explained.

"You have defeated Destrik, destroyed the Sith Academy, and broken the spirit of the Sith," Dorak said proudly. "For this I am proud to present you each the Cross of Glory, the highest honor the Republic can bestow."

Vandar now spoke again. "On behalf of the Jedi Council, defenders of the Galaxy and sworn protectors of the Republic, I too would like to honor you for your actions. We, Jedi, now have another tale to weave into the grand history of our eternal Order: The battle of Dantooine. Wherever you go, you will be recognized as the saviors of the galaxy, the heroes of our age."

The Heroes of the galaxy smiled in response.

"But you must remain ever vigilant, for one day you may be called again yet again...to defend the glory of the Republic against the tyranny of the Dark Side," Vandar continued, smiling as he spoke. "For this is the destiny of the Jedi, and those who aid the Jedi."

"Who comes up with this stuff?" Trentyn mumbled under his breath, and Bastila nudged him into silence.

"From Coruscant to the farthest reached of the Outer Rims, you will be known as the saviors of the Republic!" Dorak exclaimed and the crowd once again went wild.


End file.
